Coronavirus infections in UK fall to their lowest level for five months
Covid-19 infections in the UK have fallen to their lowest level for five months, though there are signs the rate of decrease is slowing, figures show.
A total of 1.3 million people in private households are estimated to have had the virus in the week to May 13, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
This is down 14 per cent from 1.5 million the previous week and follows drops of 24 per cent and 32 per cent in the two previous weeks.
Total infections in the UK are now back to levels last seen in early December, when numbers had just started to rise due to the spread of the original Omicron variant.
Infections are now roughly a quarter what they were at the peak of the recent Omicron BA.2 wave at the end of March, when a record 4.9 million people were estimated to have Covid-19.
Prevalence of the virus has continued to decline in all four nations, the ONS said.
In England, infections have fallen for the sixth week running, with 1.0 million people likely to test positive for Covid-19, the equivalent of around one in 55.
This is down week on week from 1.2 million, or one in 45.
Wales has seen infections drop for the fifth week in a row, with 80,700 people estimated to have coronavirus, or one in 40, down from 88,300, or one in 35.
In Scotland, 122,200 people were likely to test positive for the virus in the seven days to May 13, or around one in 45.
This is down from 158,200 people, or one in 35, the previous week.
The virus continues to be least prevalent in Northern Ireland, where infections are at their lowest level since early November.
Some 29,800 people were estimated to have Covid-19 last week, or one in 60, down from 33,800, or one in 55.
The percentage of people testing positive for coronavirus has continued to fall in all regions of England except the South-east and South West, where the trend in the most recent week was "uncertain", the ONS said.
Rates are highest in the South West, where 2.3 per cent of people in private households, around one in 45, were likely to have had the virus last week.
The West Midlands has the lowest rate, at 1.5 per cent.