Cases of Covid fall by a third in 7 days

COVID infections in the UK have tumbled by almost a million for a second consecutive week as the Omicron wave continues to recede.

Two million people were estimated to have had the virus last week, down by almost a third from 2.9 million the previous week.

One in 35 people was infected in England, the lowest proportion since the start of the year.

In Wales the figure was one in 25, while it was down to one in 30 in Scotland and just one in 40 in Northern Ireland.

Sarah Crofts, head of analytical outputs for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: “We continue to see a considerable reduction in infections across the UK. Despite this infections remain high overall.”

There were 8,170 patients hospitalised with Covid in England yesterday – half the number treated on wards a month ago.

Subsiding

Professor Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer tweeted: “I wanted to say a huge thank you to NHS staff.

“Direct Covid admissions have put them under serious pressure for many months. Covid has not gone, indirect impacts of Covid remain significant, but the current wave is subsiding.”

Meanwhile, 18 further cases of sudden onset hepatitis in children were confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) in the last seven days.

Experts are trying to explain the worrying rise in cases of the condition, which involves inflammation of the liver and causes jaundice.

To date, 163 children have been affected in the UK, including 11 who needed liver transplants.

Dr Meera Chand, director of clinical and emerging infections at UKHSA, said: “It’s important parents know the likelihood of a child developing hepatitis is extremely low.”

Studies have revealed there is likely to be a link between hepatitis and adenovirus, a common type of virus that leads to cold-like symptoms, she added.