Daily Mail

Jab success is finally turning tide on virus

Infections no longer lead to ‘inevitable’ serious illness

- By Eleanor Hayward Health Correspond­ent

THE success of Britain’s vaccine rollout at saving lives was revealed yesterday as it emerged deaths are falling at twice the rate of cases.

Matt Hancock said the link between infections and deaths was ‘breaking thanks to the vaccinatio­n programme’.

The Health Secretary added that cases no longer led to the ‘grim inevitabil­ity’ of more deaths and hospitalis­ations.

One in three adults have been vaccinated, including all over-70s, who make up 83 per cent of Covid-19 fatalities.

Now that the most vulnerable are protected, the weekly death rate is plummeting at twice the rate of cases.

Overall UK virus deaths fell by 31 per r cent in the past week, compared to a 17 per cent fall in cases. Meanwhile, hospitalis­ations - fell by 20 per cent.

The trend has been steeper among older r people, who were first in line for the jab b and now have highest levels of immunity.

Deaths among over-75s have fallen by y 40 per cent in a week, compared to a decrease of 23 per cent among under-65s.

Dr Mary Ramsey, from Public Health h England, said: ‘ We are beginning to see e signs that the rate of deaths and the rate e of hospitalis­ations in those vaccinated age groups are declining at a faster rate than in the younger population.’

A string of official figures yesterday confirmed that the epidemic was shrinking, meaning an end to the crisis is finally sight.

However, as 345 deaths and 8,523 cases were recorded yesterday, Mr Hancock said the figures were still ‘far too high’ to lift lockdown.

The seven-day average for daily deaths is at 356, down 71 per cent from a peak of 1,248 in the week to January 20. Meanwhile the sevenday average of coronaviru­s cases has f fallen ll b below l 10,000 10 000 f for th the fi first t time since October 1.

It now stands at 9,688 – one sixth of the peak of 59,660 on January 6.

Mr Hancock said: ‘Deaths have more than halved in the last fortnight but... it is still far too high. That link, from cases to hospitalis­ations and deaths, which has had a grim inevitabil­ity throughout 2020, is now breaking thanks to the vaccinatio­n programme.’

On Tuesday landmark research

Snaps of vaccine day for May and

Vorderman

found f vaccines were cutting the risk of serious illness and death in the UK ‘spectacula­rly well’.

A single shot of the Oxford-AstraZenec­a vaccine cuts the risk of hospitalis­ation by 94 per cent and one shot of the Pfizer version reduces it by up to 85 per cent.

More than 19million have received their first dose.

With all adults due to be vaccinated by July, it means the country is on track for normality by summer – as promised in the Government’s roadmap. Mr Hancock said the number of Covid patients in hospital – 15,485, down from 39,248 on January 18 – had to fall still further, and he dampened any hopes that the sharp fall in cases would allow lockdown to be lifted early. Random testing by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) yesterday revealed infections were at their lowest level since the start of October. Last week, one in 145 people tested positive for the virus in England – down from one in 115 the week before and a peak of the one in 50 at the start of the year.

Scientists said the R value – the average number of people infected by someone with the virus – was steady at between 0.6 and 0.9, meaning the epidemic was shrinking. It is the lowest R range seen since the Government started publishing the figures last May.

 ??  ?? Theresa May, 64, and Carol Vorderman, 60, receiving their first doses yesterday. Miss Vorderman said: ‘It was quite an emotional e thing. These are people with a sense of duty.’
Theresa May, 64, and Carol Vorderman, 60, receiving their first doses yesterday. Miss Vorderman said: ‘It was quite an emotional e thing. These are people with a sense of duty.’
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