THE UK’s daily Covid cases has dropped 21 per cent on last week, as ministers hint they are preparing to drop Plan B measures.
Sajid Javid told the House of Commons it’s thought the country has made it through the Omicron wave, and is almost ready to lose some restrictions.
Today has seen 94,432 new cases in the past 24 hours, with 438 fatalities also recorded.
This time last week there had been 120,821 new daily cases recorded, as the country shows promising signs of the variant wave having peaked.
It comes as Covid restrictions are set to be “substantially reduced” next week when Plan B measures are ditched, Sajid Javid declared today.
In a huge boost to millions of Brits the health secretary said he’s “cautiously optimistic” many curbs on daily life will be axed.
Addressing MPs, he said it’s likely the UK has “already reached the peak of the case numbers of hospitalisations” caused by the Omicron wave.
And he said Britain is in a much better place to combat the virus thanks to our high vaccination rates and new treatments.
He told the Commons: “I have always said that these restrictions should not stay in place a day longer than absolutely necessary.
“Due to these pharmaceutical defences and the likelihood that we have already reached the peak of the case numbers of hospitalisations, I am cautiously optimistic that we will be able to substantially reduce measures next week.”
The Health Secretary praised the hard work of the British people in fighting off Omicron which he said allowed us to remain “the most open country in Europe”.
No 10 will hold a review of the ongoing need for Plan B as soon as the end of this week, with only masks set to stay.
There have even been reports that all Covid measures in England, including self-isolation, may be binned from the end of March.
From next week Brits will able to go back to the office and attend mass events like the footy without showing their vaccination status or a negative test.
Rules stating that kids have to wear masks in the classroom are also likely to be dropped from the middle of next week.
Follow our Covid live blog for all the latest updates
Although cases are dropping Omicron is still spreading throughout the UK with thousands testing positive each day.
Knowing the signs is important, as it means you stand less chance of accidentally passing on the virus.
A string of hugely positive studies show Omicron is milder than other strains in the vaccinated, with the first official UK report revealing the risk of hospitalisation is 50 to 70 per cent lower than with Delta.
Covid booster jabs protect against Omicron and offer the best chance to get through the pandemic, health officials have repeatedly said.
Trending In The News’s Jabs Army campaign is helping get the vital extra vaccines in Brits’ arms to ward off the need for any new restrictions.
Symptoms are appearing to be slightly different in people who have been vaccinated against Covid.
Professor Tim Spector, behind the ZOE Symptom Study App, where people log how they are feeling with the virus, revealed around nine symptoms that keep popping up.
