Gwynedd COVID incidence rate highest in North Wales as cases rise

Gwynedd now has the highest COVID levels in North Wales with 865 cases in a seven-day period.

This compares to 229 in Anglesey, 411 in Conwy, 459 in Denbighshire, 609 in Flintshire and 692 in Wrexham, according to Public Health Wales figures.

Gwynedd also now has 694.4 cases per 100,000 of the population, the highest in Wales above the Vale of Glamorgan at 685.7.

Executive director of nursing Gill Harris gave an update to the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s board on the COVID pandemic today, revealing the NHS was facing several challenges as the winter approached.

As of 17 November, there are 141 inpatients across hospitals in North Wales with COVID.

Mrs Harris said: “Community levels are rising, and Gwynedd is now the highest in Wales.

“And Wrexham is also higher than the Welsh average. So we can see the figures in North Wales are going up.

“We are seeing a slight upturn in self-isolation in the west and Ysbyty Gwynedd, which would seem to be a result of some of those higher levels in Gwynedd.

“So it (COVID) certainly is still with us, and I would urge everyone in our communities to support the mitigations that have been put in place in terms of reducing the spread of COVID as we go into winter.

“The younger age groups are now where we are seeing the upturn. We still have a number of patients as inpatients. Some of those are very poorly. The numbers in Ysbyty Gwynedd are increasing. This is proving challenging in terms of the other activity across North Wales.”

Mrs Harris also reported several operation issues affecting the NHS, including people visiting GPs with suspected COVID. But whilst the number of COVID positive patients in hospitals is lower than ‘wave two’, the three acute hospitals are experiencing ‘sustained operational pressure’.

Mrs Harris also revealed that Betsi was working hard to comply with new national standards relating to ambulance response times and recognised the importance of not keeping patients waiting.

A new ‘Aberconwy’ ward has also opened up at Llandudno Hospital for patients fit for discharge, but pressures are causing delays in placing people in residential and home care. The board also heard how an upsurge in seasonal children’s respiratory illnesses was expected.

Richard Evans – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).