Deaths fall to just 17 – the lowest since September
CORONAVIRUS deaths have fallen to their lowest level in nearly six months.
Only 17 fatalities were recorded yesterday – the lowest figure since September 28 and a decline of 75 per cent in a week.
A further 5,342 Covid cases were registered in the previous 24 hours, up 5 per cent on the day before, when officials said there had been 5,089 new cases. However, more than double the number of people were tested compared with the previous week – with almost 1.9million carried out on Sunday alone – suggesting that infections are plateauing.
Experts said the figures are further testament to Britain’s worldleading vaccination programme
– which has now delivered a first dose to 28million people.
On a record-breaking weekend, 1,119,314 people received their first jab, and during a peak hour on what has been dubbed ‘Super Saturday’, 27 people a second were jabbed.
On Sunday, a quieter day due to lower staffing levels, 367,006 more people had their vaccine.
More than half of UK adults have now had a jab and almost 2.3million are now fully vaccinated with a second dose.
Only 16 deaths were recorded in England yesterday and one in Northern Ireland. Figures could rise later in the week because there is always a weekend lag.
Scotland and Wales, which began to ease lockdown restrictions yesterday, reported no fatalities.
The totals will come as a relief to officials as the country marks a year since entering the first lockdown today. Some 126,172 deaths have now been recorded.
The daily total, however, is a long way from the darkest day of 1,820 deaths on January 20.
Hospitalisations are also falling. The seven-day average for admissions is now close to the same level as the end of September, at about 450 patients.
Some 6,162 remain in hospital with coronavirus, the lowest level since mid-October and more than six times lower than the peak of 39,248 in mid- January. More than
‘Urged to play their part’
100,000 patients with the virus were admitted to hospitals this January alone.
The focus is now expected to return to clearing waiting lists, which this month hit a record high of 4.59million.
Of these, 304,044 people have been waiting more than a year, up from 1,643 in January 2020.
The declining deaths and low infection levels are likely to ramp up pressure on the Government to end lockdown, with economists suggesting there is now ‘a strong case’ for easing restrictions earlier.
Following the success of testing in schools, officials hope that encouraging everyone to test themselves regularly could help lift the country out of lockdown.
All adults will be urged to test themselves twice a week with an advertising campaign set to ask people to ‘play their part’.
They hope that by isolating more infectious people without symptoms, the virus will be driven down further this summer.
Sewage monitoring could be used to pinpoint areas where clusters are emerging and surge testing deployed to halt outbreaks.