Covid: No new patients in Merthyr, Rhondda Cynon Taff or Bridgend for two weeks

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-57085653

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The hardest hit area for Covid during the pandemic in Wales has had no Covid patients in its critical care units for more than three weeks.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board has also had no Covid admissions in its hospitals for more than two weeks.

It comes as numbers of Covid patients in hospital in Wales again reached record low levels for the pandemic.

There were just 65 people with confirmed and suspected Covid across Welsh hospitals on Tuesday.

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These "active" cases have fallen by 43% in a month and are a 96% drop from the record levels we saw in late-December, according to the daily Digital Health and Care Wales figures.

But the improvement, as lower community transmission and the vaccine roll-out take effect, is particularly noticeable in the part of Wales worst hit by Covid.

Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board covers Rhondda Cynon Taf (RCT), Merthyr Tydfil and Bridgend.

The highest mortality rates covering the whole of the pandemic - and at the peak of the first wave - have been in RCT and Merthyr.

The peak of the second wave of the pandemic in January came in Bridgend, with 159 deaths due to Covid and Wales' highest monthly mortality rate, 1,277.8 deaths per 100,000.

But case rates in these communities for weeks have been among the lowest in the UK, while Covid deaths have fallen to four in five weeks.

On Tuesday, there were nine patients in hospital beds with Covid symptoms across Cwm Taf Morgannwg's three general hospitals - Royal Glamorgan near Llantrisant, Prince Charles in Merthyr and the Princess of Wales, Bridgend.

At the peak just after Christmas there were more than 420.

The health board has had no critical care patients for 23 successive days and no Covid admissions for more than two weeks.

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'Continued diligence'

Medical director Dr Nick Lyons said it was "great news" and paid tribute to local people and staff, who had "worked tirelessly, in unprecedented conditions" for more than 12 months on the front line of the pandemic.

"On behalf of our health board, I would like to thank everyone in our communities who has worked so hard to follow the restrictions and contribute towards the significant reduction of Covid-19 in our area and in our hospitals," he said.

But he warned against complacency and that Covid had not gone away. "With continued diligence and uptake of the vaccine, I hope that we will be able to maintain this success," Dr Lyons added.

When we count recovering patients - those in rehab or who cannot yet be discharged - the numbers are still the lowest yet across Wales.

On 11 May, there were 178 Covid patients - including recovering patients - in hospital beds, with a daily average of 190 over the week, according to daily figures from Digital Health and Care Wales.

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(N.B. Betsi Cadwaladr is North Wales, Hywel Dda is West Wales, Cwm Taf Morgannwg is most of the Valleys, Aneurin Bevan is Gwent).

Covid-19 patients - including those recovering - now make up 2.2% of all patients in Welsh hospitals. The proportion reached 36% before Christmas.

Three people were being treated on invasive ventilated beds, including in critical care, for confirmed or suspected coronavirus on Tuesday. Last week saw the number drop to a record low of two. This is 97% fewer Covid patients than in mid-January.

Cardiff and Vale health board had two critical care Covid patients and there was one in Aneurin Bevan health board but there were none elsewhere.

On 11 May, admissions to hospitals of confirmed and suspected Covid-19 cases were running at a daily seven-day average of 14. This is just above last month's record low of 13.

There were 13 confirmed and suspected Covid patients admitted on Tuesday - Covid admissions now make up 1.2% of all hospital admissions.