infection-rate Gwent Covid case rate approaching 100 per 100,000 THERE have been a further 663 coronavirus cases confirmed in Wales today, including 115 in Gwent. Wales' rolling weekly coronavirus case rate - for the week to July 2, the latest available - has risen to 109.6 per 100,000 people, and with in Gwent (Aneurin Bevan University Health Board area) now not far behind (94.9) But there have been no new confirmed coroanvirus-related deaths in Wales today, and it is now 27 days since such a death was confirmed in Gwent. The number of cases confirmed in Wales since the pandemic began is 222,448, including 43,031 in Gwent.

israel Pfizer vaccine protection takes a hit as Delta variant spreads, Israeli government says The Israeli government says its analysis has shown the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine appears to be less effective against infections caused by the Delta variant compared to other strains of COVID-19. In a brief statement issued on Monday, the government said that as of June 6, the vaccine provided 64% protection against infection. In May -- when the Alpha variant dominated in Israel and the Delta strain had not yet spread widely -- it found that the shot was 95.3% effective against all infections. The government added that the vaccine was now 93% effective in preventing severe disease and hospitalizations, compared to 97% reported in the medical journal The Lancet in May.