ALMOST 500 new Covid cases and three deaths were recorded in Gwent over the weekend, Public Health Wales has confirmed.

A total of 2,268 new cases were recorded across Wales, with 485 of these recorded across Gwent.

Due to changes in the way Public Health Wales reports coronavirus data, today’s figures cover the 72 hours up to 9am on Monday.

A further 16 coronavirus deaths were recorded in this period, Public Health Wales has confirmed. Three of these died in the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area, taking the death toll in Gwent to 1,192 people since the beginning of the pandemic.

There were 132 new cases reported in Caerphilly – the highest in Gwent and seventh highest local authority area in Wales.

Newport saw a rise of 114 cases, while there were 86 and 84 in Blaenau Gwent and Monmouthshire respectively.

Torfaen recorded 69 new cases – only three areas in Wales recorded fewer.

Blaenau Gwent currently has the highest rolling seven-day case rate per 100,000 people, up to March 3 – the latest available figures.

The case rate in Blaenau Gwent is 247.6, ahead of the Vale of Glamorgan (247) and Carmarthenshire (234.1).

Monmouthshire’s case rate (175.5) is the twelfth highest across Wales, while Newport (162.3) and Caerphilly (156.8) have the ninth and seventh lowest case rates.

Torfaen (140.5) has the lowest case rate in Gwent and the fourth lowest in Wales.

The Wales-wide case rate now stands at 178 per 100,000 people.

Here's where the latest cases were reported:

Cardiff - 330

Carmarthenshire - 187

Swansea - 181

Rhondda Cynon Taf - 179

Vale of Glamorgan - 161

Flintshire - 140

Caerphilly - 132

Bridgend - 117

Wrexham - 116

Newport - 114

Neath Port Talbot - 112

Pembrokeshire - 111

Denbighshire - 89

Blaenau Gwent - 86

Monmouthshire - 84

Powys - 82

Gwynedd - 79

Conwy - 69

Torfaen - 69

Ceredigion - 52

Merthyr Tydfil - 30

Anglesey - 28

Resident Outside Wales - 68

Unknown Location - 12