DAILY Covid cases fell for a seventh day running as health bosses claim the worst of Omicron is nearly over.
Infections are down by a third — a drop in a week from 194,747 to 129,587.
And the number of desperately ill people needing breathing support in intensive care has dipped to 672, the lowest level since mid-October.
Matthew Taylor, boss of the NHS Confederation, said some areas might still suffer but the country would soon be through the worst. He added: “Unless things change unexpectedly, we are close to the national peak of Covid patients in hospital. This is a significant moment.”
Dr Richard Cree, an intensive care medic in Middlesbrough, said: “Numbers being admitted hasn’t risen as high as I feared.
“It’s looking increasingly likely that we may be able to ride out the Omicron wave.”
Office for National Statistics data showed UK infections rose last week to a record 4.3million.
But the rate of increase slowed and they are falling in London. There are 16,881 Covid patients in hospitals, fewer than half of last January’s peak.
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The ONS report also revealed UK infections rose just 15 per cent in the first week of January, compared with a 64 per cent spike at the end of December.
Covid deaths yesterday were up a fifth on last week with 398 new fatalities reported.
