THE UK’s daily Covid death toll is the lowest in three weeks as a further 45 fatalities are recorded – but cases are on the rise.
A further 44,917 people tested positive for Covid-19 today – a 23 per cent increase compared to this day last month.
But the country’s daily death count of 45 is the lowest recorded since November 1, when 40 people died after testing positive for the disease.
It comes as Nadhim Zahawi claims Britain could be the first country in the world to be free of coronavirus.
The former vaccine minister said the Covid vaccine rollout had helped bring the bug under control across the country.
Across the UK, more than 15 million booster vaccines have been rolled out in order to protect the most vulnerable from a tough winter.
The UK came out of lockdown earlier this year and at the time, ministers were criticised for the decision.
Speaking today, Mr Zahawi, now Education Secretary, told LBC Radio: “Our four-step plan meant that we were able to open up the economy in the summer. Some said it was a mistake – I think it was absolutely the right thing to do.”
In the last month, the government has urged eligible Brits to come forward for their booster vaccinations.
Mr Zahawi said the UK could be demonstrating to other places how you can go from pandemic to endemic through the use of jabs.
He added: “We will probably, I hope, without being complacent, be the first major economy in the world to demonstrate how you transition (from) pandemic to endemic using vaccines.”
Mr Zahawi’s comment come after it was today revealed that the Delta Covid variant – which is the most dominant variant in the UK, may have mutated itself into self-extinction.
The Covid strain has sprouted a number of “children” – scientifically called lineages – that share similar characteristics.
Delta was already far more transmissible than the original “Wuhan” strain of the virus.
And other variations of Delta have been shown to cause fewer symptoms, carry immune-escaping mutations, or be even more fast-spreading.
But now, it’s possible it’s mutated too much and has “self-destructed”, according to experts in Japan, where the virus has slowed.
