THERE were more than 60 new coronavirus cases newly confirmed in North Wales, according to the latest public health data.

Of these, 30 were in Wrexham and Flintshire.

The 63 cases in the Betsi Cadwalader Health Board area can be broken down to: six in Anglesey, 10 in Conwy, eight in Denbighshire, 13 in Flintshire, nine in Gwynedd, and 17 in Wrexham..

The seven-day rate is now 57 per 100,000 members of the population in Wales.

There are only a small number of areas in Wales with rates higher than 80/100k, but two of these are in North Wales. Gwynedd's rate is 92.3/100k while Conwy's is 87.9/100k.

The rates in Flintshire and Wrexham have fallen in recent weeks, and are currently 67.3/100k in Flintshire and 64/100k in Wrexham. The rate in Denbighshire is 52.2/100k.

There were 208 new cases confirmed in Wales as a whole, meaning that there have now been 204,196 positive results from the 1,665,909 individuals tested.

Sadly there have been 12 new coronavirus suspected deaths reported.

Dr Robin Howe, Incident Director for the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak response at Public Health Wales, said: “The weekly incidence of COVID-19 infections in all local authority areas throughout Wales has fallen below 100 cases per 100,000 population, although there are a small number of areas which have an incidence rate of above 80. This is encouraging, but we must continue following the rules and guidelines to maintain this trend.

“It was one year ago on Sunday, 28 February 2020, that the first case of Coronavirus was announced in Wales. I am pleased to report that one year later, as of Saturday 27 February 2021, Wales has now delivered more than 1 million first and second doses of COVID-19 vaccinations.

“The public should be aware that the level 4 restrictions remain in place in order to keep infection rates falling and that you should stay at home, meet only the people you live with, work from home if you can, wear a face covering where required, wash your hands regularly and stay 2 metres from anyone you do not live with.

“We remind everyone that four people from two different households are now able to meet outdoors for socially distanced local exercise. However, please remember this is solely for the purpose of exercise and that individuals should remain at a social distance, and that this guidance doesn’t apply to private gardens.

“Coronavirus cases by variant in Wales are reported on the UK Government website. The dominant strain in Wales is the Kent variant, and there is currently no evidence of widespread community transmission of other Variants of Concern in Wales.”

“Welsh Government has announced that the revised vaccine strategy will mean that every eligible adult in Wales will be offered a first dose by the end of July. In addition, adults with severe or profound learning disabilities, and those with any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment, will be invited for vaccination as part of the JCVI priority group six, and Welsh Government has published guidance on identifying eligible individuals in these groups and how to support them to take up their vaccine offers.

“Welsh Government also announced an expansion of workplace and community testing, with workplaces with more than 50 employees now eligible for support to regularly test their workforce, helping to reduce the spread of the virus and allowing them to operate safely."

On the issue of schools, Dr Howe added: “As primary school children aged three to seven years in foundation phase returned to face-to-face learning, we thank parents for their perseverence during the winter.

“We need your continued support to control the spread of Coronavirus, so please do not send your child to school if they are unwell, even if you are not sure if they have Coronavirus. Please continue to work from home if at all possible.

“When you take your child to school, always keep your distance from other parents, wear a face covering, and don’t stay around and chat. Please don’t invite other children or their parents to your home to play or stay, even outdoors, and even if they are in the same bubble at school.

“Make sure your child understands the importance of washing their hands regularly."