THE number of people testing positive for Covid has levelled out – amid claims the UK is now approaching post-pandemic life.
Another 28,612 infections were recorded today – a 10 per cent rise compared to last week when 26,144 cases were reported.
Tragically, deaths are up 45 per cent on this time last week.
A further 103 casualties were recorded to have lost their lives to the virus today, compared with 71 last Saturday. Fatalities and severe infections lag behind rising cases.
The number of new infections recorded each day has broadly plateaued, despite Freedom Day last month – leading to hopes Britain is now over the darkest days of the crisis.
Britain passed a bleak milestone yesterday, with a whopping six million testing positive since the pandemic began.
But the current situation is far brighter than Government scientists predicted.
Just weeks ago, Sajid Javid warned there’ll be 100,000 cases a day by the end of the summer.
Instead, infections are currently averaging at between 20,000 and 30,000 a day.
It comes as:
- Britain’s R-rate is shrinking faster than almost anywhere else in the world – suggesting the third wave is over
- The AstraZeneca jab is so effective, those given the vaccine may not need boosters
- However, Sage has warned a Covid mutation bringing ‘more severe disease’ could be created when two variants infect one person
- A travel expert sparked outrage yesterday after sharing a way for red-list holidaymakers to get around quarantine
- More than 30,000 UK children are battling long Covid with experts fearing a push to vaccinate the young has come too late
Sage models for this point in time predict more than 6,000 people in hospital at the low end, and more than 25,000 as a worst-case scenario.
Currently, 5,631 patients are admitted to wards.
And top academics say they don’t believe there’ll be a further lockdown in the autumn.
Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at Oxford University, told the Times that autumn was “going to be fine”, adding: “We’re past the need for lockdowns because of the vaccine.”
Sage adviser Professor John Edmunds said he doesn’t expect a September lockdown – and credited “amazing” vaccines with the turnaround.
But Boris Johnson is reportedly much more cautious about the news – and has become “the most pessimistic person in the room” when discussing the UK’s Covid response.
The PM is believed to have been “scarred” by having to cancel the festive season for millions.
“He is still haunted by Christmas,” a source said.
But despite Mr Johnson’s fears, there was even more good news this week.
The epidemic is shrinking faster in Britain than almost anywhere else in the world — indicating that our third wave is over.
R RATE PLUMMETS
And Public Health England said the crucial R rate — a measure of how virulent it is — has plummeted as low as 0.8 for the first time since lockdown.
Separate research from King’s College London backed up the figures.
The current R rate means every ten people infected are now passing it on to just eight others.
As long as the rate remains below one, the outbreak is shrinking. The further below one it gets, the faster it will shrink.
R rates are much higher across Europe and the world.
In Germany it is currently 1.6, in France 1.3, Sweden 1.4, Italy 1.2, Belgium 1.1 and Spain 1.02.
Only tiny Luxembourg has a marginally lower R rate — currently 0.79.
In Israel it is 1.5, in the US 1.4 and even in Australia, with a “zero-Covid” policy, it is 1.3.
