Covid cases and deaths down by almost a THIRD in a week as 52 people die and 41,270 become infected
The number of COVID cases and deaths has fallen by almost a third in a week.
Figures show Britain recorded 52 Covid deaths and 41,270 positive cases of the virus in the past 24 hours.
Compared to last week's statistics – 57,337 cases and 75 deaths – the figures are down 28 percent and 30 percent respectively.
It comes as the crucial R rate has also fallen slightly this week and is now between 0.8 and 1.
Last week the R-value was between 0.8 and 1.1, but it is important to note that there is always a lag in the data with these numbers.
As of yesterday, around one in 19 people in England currently have coronavirus, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows.
Experts said infection rates have remained high across Britain, while positive tests are rising in the south-east.
Both the south-west and east of England also saw a rise in cases in the seven days to February 5, ONS data shows.
The number of people testing positive has fallen in the North East, the North West and Yorkshire and the Humber.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) also shows that the North East and Yorkshire currently have the lowest R rate in the country, between 0.7 and 0.9.
The southeast and southwest have the highest R rates, between 0.9 and 1.1.
The East of England and London are between 0.8 and 1.1, while the Midlands are between 0.8 and 1.
The northwest is between 0.7 and 1.
Earlier this week it was announced that our rapid vaccine rollout means we are on course to drop the final restrictions a month earlier – with the final legal restrictions being lifted on February 24.
The triumphant Prime Minister told his friends: 'We've got Covid done' as he announced the end of the measures.
It means Brits are no longer legally required to self-isolate for five days if they contract coronavirus.
This will give millions of children the freedom to stay in school instead of being sent home repeatedly due to symptoms that are usually little more than a cold.
Councils will also be stripped of emergency powers that allow them to close businesses they consider a risk.
On the same day that these latest domestic laws are scrapped, No 10 also wants to tear up the last of the Covid border controls.
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