PEMBROKESHIRE has seen the highest weekly increases in coronavirus cases in the three counties of Hywel Dda for the last two weeks.

On the latest June 21 figures, there were 107 new cases of coronavirus recorded across the Hywel Dda health board area in seven days; 51 new cases in Pembrokeshire, 35 in Carmarthenshire, and 21 in Ceredigion.

In just under three weeks, Pembrokeshire has seen more than 100 extra cases.

The previous week, June 7-14, saw 88 new cases in the three counties; 43 in Pembrokeshire, 35 in Carmarthenshire, and 10 in Ceredigion.

The previous six days, from June 1, saw 33 new cases; 13 in Pembrokeshire, 17 in Carmarthenshire, and three in Ceredigion.

There were no figures reported for Monday, May 31, because of the bank holiday.

The number of Covid-related deaths in the three counties has remained at 481 since May 27.

The first minister Mark Drakeford recently gave a grim warning that the Delta variant of Covid-19 is spreading rapidly.

With numbers rising in every local authority area in Wales, Mr Drakeford said he could not rule out a return to lockdown restrictions.

Addressing journalists and the country at his media briefing on Friday, June 18, he said: “The numbers in Wales are going to grow and grow over the coming weeks. That I am afraid is unavoidable.

“For the first time this year we have seen a sustained week upon week increase in the rate of coronavirus cases across Wales, and this is because of the Delta variant has been taking hold.

“Since the end of May we have seen cases beginning to rise sharply once again across Wales and a particularly steep rise in case amongst people aged under 25."

Two weeks ago there were fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people, but as of June 18, the rate has increased to 23.6 per 100,000, with two local authority areas experiencing rates above 50 per 100,000 people.

From the start of June to the middle of the month, the number of confirmed Covid cases in Wales had grown from 97 to 490.

The First Minister added: “The most recent information from Public Health Wales suggested that eight out of ten new cases are of that new Delta variant. In north Wales 97 per cent of all new cases were from the Delta variant.

“That Delta variant is now in widespread circulation in Wales. More than two thirds of new cases are coming from contacts that people are making in the community.

“All this means that in just a few weeks the Delta variant has entered Wales and spread quickly throughout the country. This is a sustained and accelerating pattern of transmission. Not just in the north and southeast of Wales but in all parts of our country which means that we are once again a serious public health situation.

“Our scientific advisers believe that the United Kingdom is now at the pre-peak stage of a third wave of this pandemic. Wales may be two to three weeks behind what is happening in England and Scotland, where tens of thousands of cases have now been confirmed and where there is widespread transmission and now reports of increased hospital admissions as well.”

The first minister could not rule out a return to lockdown restrictions, that could see pubs and shops closing again.

He said: “Things are different to how they were in March 2020 and at last Christmas and that is because of vaccination.

"But what we’re not clear about is the full extent to which vaccination has altered the link between falling ill with coronavirus and needing hospital treatment, that is what will become clear over the next few weeks.

"The more people we can vaccinate the stronger the defence will and the more certain we can be that we don’t need to put anything in reverse and indeed we will be able to move further forward.”