Coming out the other side? The Welsh communities where coronavirus rates are falling dramatically
by ITV Wales journalist Sarah Mahon
While Wales is still in its third national lockdown and Covid-deaths have surpassed 5,000, virus rates in some of the worst-hit communities have come down dramatically.
Merthyr Tydfil, Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot had some of the worst rates per 100,000 of the population just before Christmas but now those numbers are decreasing.
The lockdown measures appear to be helping turn the tide and Wales' vaccination programme is well underway. More than 603,976 people have received a first dose and Wales has now vaccinated a larger percentage of its population than any other UK nation has.
While hospitals are still under huge pressure, there are tentative signs of hope on the horizon.
The so-called "second peak" of the pandemic has proved to be worse than the first, with the week beginning December 14 seeing some of the highest case rates since March. But the numbers are going down in most areas.
Merthyr Tydfil
Coronavirus cases have been a particular concern in Merthyr Tydfil. Mass-testing was introduced in late-November in an attempt to help identify asymptomatic people and slow the spread of the virus.
Shortly before testing was offered to everyone in the area, Merthyr Tydfil became the worst-hit area of the UK, with 741 cases per 100,000 people.
That number increased during the week beginning December 14, exceeding 1,200 - the highest for any local authority area in Wales that week.
That case rate now stands below 100, pushing Merthyr Tydfil down to having the seventh worst rate when compared to all other Welsh local authorities.
Bridgend
Another area that could once claim the grim title of the UK's worst Covid-hit town is Bridgend.
Staff at the Princess of Wales Hospital in Bridgend told ITV Wales they were being "pushed to the limit" at the start of 2021 and in December ambulances were queuing outside the hospital's A&E with patients waiting hours.
While the Welsh NHS is still under pressure, the Health Minister told a press briefing on Monday 8 February that the number of confirmed Covid-19 patients is at its lowest since early-November.
36% of patients at Cwm Taf Morgannwg health board's hospitals, which covers Bridgend, had coronavirus at the start of 2021. Latest figures show that dropped to 16% at the end of January.
The case rate has also dropped significantly in Bridgend, going from more than 1,000 to almost 60.
Neath Port Talbot
In early-December, one in four people being tested for coronavirus in Neath Port Talbot were returning positive results and the leader of the council there warned that the town was in a "very bad" situation.
On Monday 14 December, Swansea Bay University Health Board said it was postponing some non-urgent surgery at Neath Port Talbot Hospital and all non-essential face-to-face appointments at all its sites to free up beds in response to Covid-19 pressures.
That same week the rate per 100,000 of the population was more than 900. Seven weeks later, the case rate has dropped to 69.8.
Blaenau Gwent
Blaenau Gwent has seen significantly high case rates too. Over the Christmas period, the seven-day rolling case rate per 100,000 was at one point more than 1,000 - alongside Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil.
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, which covers Blaenau Gwent, postponed all non-urgent care in December because of added pressure from Covid-19.
Like in Neath Port Talbot, the case rate here has now dropped from more than 900 to just over 75.
Wrexham
Although Wrexham was nowhere near the worst-hit local authority area between December 14 and 20, rates there did reach 909.1 per 100,000 two weeks later. This delayed peak meant Wrexham Maelor Hospital had to suspend planned surgery in January, in order to cope with the rising amount of Covid-19 patients.
The rate there went down to 165.5 per 100,000 in the first week fo February, giving hope that that number will come down even further in the next two weeks and beyond.