CORONAVIRUS deaths have plunged by 42 per cent in a week with 101 fatalities and 4,802 cases reported in the last 24 hours.
The plummeting death rate means the seven-day average for Covid deaths has fallen to 98 – the first time it's been below 100 in more than five months.
Meanwhile, cases fell by 27 per cent to 4,802 from last Friday's total of 6,609.
The number of cases is now and its lowest level since last September with a seven-day average of 5,343.
There are currently around 7,000 Covid patients in hospital across the UK, compared to a peak of almost 40,000 in mid-January.
Patients requiring ventilation fell below 1,000 for the first time since last October.
The UK has also recorded its best-ever day of Covid vaccinations, with a total of 660,276 jabs – 528,260 first doses and 132,016 second doses – given out yesterday.
It comes as:
- Don’t bet on holidays to EU, warns Prof Lockdown – we MUST keep South Africa variant out of UK
- Brits set to be packed back into football stadiums and theatres from June 21 with proof of a negative test or Covid jab
- France, Italy and Germany resume AstraZeneca vaccine rollouts in humiliating U-turn after EU FINALLY declares it ‘safe’
- Covid cases still rising in 124 parts of England – is your area on the hotspot list?
- Boris Johnson is getting the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine today after reassuring Brits the jab IS safe
The improving statistics provide hope lockdown easing across the UK will continue as scheduled despite a predicted drop-off in vaccine supply during April.
The UK's official R rate remains below 1, despite having crept up this week.
Meanwhile, data from the ZOE Symptom Tracker app revealed that cases of the virus have fallen by 20 per cent in just one week, despite schools have reopened at the start of the month.
Statistics from the app shows that currently, an estimated 4,470 people are falling sick with symptomatic Covid every day.
The figure compares to 5,494 cases a week ago – a decrease of 18 per cent.
One in 1,369 school-aged children in the UK have symptomatic Covid, according to the study data, analysed by researchers at King’s College London (KCL).
This does not include children who may be silently carrying the virus with no symptoms.
Opening schools was the first step of lifting lockdowns, so the data bodes well for the next phase.
Schools reopened fully in England on March 8, and there has been a phased reopening in Wales and Scotland since February 22 – where most older pupils are not back in school yet.
In England, it's hoped the groups of up to six can meet in gardens and outdoor organised sport can go ahead from March 29.
Non-essential shops and pubs with outdoor table service are scheduled to reopen on April 12.
On May 17, pubs are set to be allowed to serve customers indoors and sports stadiums and other cultural venues will be able to re-open with limited numbers.
On June 21, the Government hopes to lift all Covid restrictions.
But each stage of lockdown lifting is dependent on four key tests – falling cases, capacity within the NHS, the success of the vaccine rollout and any potential mutant variants being under control.
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