Covid hospital admissions rise slightly for Gwent and Wales

The week ending January 9 saw 5,420 people admitted to all hospital wards across Wales, according to Public Health Wales' weekly update.

Of these, 353 – or seven per cent – were known to have tested positive prior to admission to hospital.

A further 2,825 people were tested on admission, with 187 of these testing positive.

This means there was a slight rise in people who tested positive for Covid prior to or on admission to hospital – from 507 in the previous week to 540 in the week ending January 9.

This is the highest it has been since the week ending January 31 last year - in which 583 tested positive for Covid prior to or on admission to hospital.

The number of patients who tested positive on or before admission to hospital in Wales and Gwent. Source: Public Health Wales.

It was previously reported that 496 patients had tested positive before or on admission to hospital across Wales in the week up to January 2, however Public Health Wales has now clarified that number as 507.

“Due to ongoing data cleaning to improve data quality and linkage, some previously reported numbers are subject to change,” said a Public Health Wales spokesperson.

In Gwent, 1,219 people were admitted to hospital in the week ending January 9.

Of these, 98 – eight per cent – were known to have tested positive beforehand, while a further 36 tested positive on admission.

This means there was also a slight rise locally, with the number of people in Gwent testing positive either before or on admission was 134, up from 126 for the week up to January 2.

This is the highest number in Gwent since the week ending November 14 last year, in which 136 people tested positive either before or on admission.

There has been a slight decline in cases diagnosed in hospital - referred to as hospital onset - cases in the past week across Wales.

In the week ending January 9, 260 Covid cases were found to have been definite or probable hospital onset cases.

This is down from the 264 definite or probable hospital onset cases in the week up to January 2.

Of the latest figures, 205 cases were found to be definite hospital onset and 55 were found to be probable hospital onset – while 43,022 were community onset cases and in a further 60 cases, it was unknown where the cases originated from.

The number of probable and definite hospital onset cases of coronavirus for Wales and Gwent. Source: Public Health Wales.

In the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board region, 7,460 people were admitted to hospital in the week up to January 9.

16 of these cases were determined to have been definite hospital onset cases, with a further 13 being probable hospital onset.

This means there has been a slight rise in Gwent – with 29 definite or probable hospital onset cases for the week, up from 23 in the week up to January 2.

This is now the highest number of probable and definite hospital onset cases in Gwent since the week ending January 24, 2021, where 41 cases were recorded.

A further 13 cases were of indeterminate origin.