THE UK’s daily Covid cases have fallen by 40 per cent in two weeks – as infections keep dropping.
Today 51,899 new infections were logged in the past 24 hours, compared to 66,638 on February 3.
Deaths have also fallen from yesterday, with 183 new fatalities recorded, according to official Government stats.
Covid cases have started to fall from the “historic” highs the UK has seen over the past month.
While it is a promising sign Omicron is slowly in retreat, an expert has warned of the threat of new variants.
The Omicron wave is slowly fizzling out, with cases falling by 11 per cent on from last week, according to data logged on the ZOE Covid Study app.
Last Thursday there were 203,973 reported cases. Today there are 181,424.
Vaccines are the best way to get through the Omicron wave, experts have repeatedly said – and slash the risk of serious illness or hospitalisation.
The variant is milder than previous strains, especially in the vaccinated, but can spread quickly which is why cases had rocketed.
Around one in 25 people in the UK have symptomatic Covid now, it is thought, with all regions in England seeing a drop.
Infections in all age groups are slowing, and falling rapidly in the 0-17 and 35-54 year olds.
It comes as ministers are expected to axe the £500 self isolation bung to the poor workers when they declare Covid freedom day.
Boris Johnson is thrashing out the final details of his plan to make England the first Western country to ditch all legal coronavirus curbs.
The legal requirement to self isolate for five days if you have Covid is being ditched by February 24.
A Whitehall insider said the £500 test and trace support payment is expected to be axed alongside this.
The source said: “It would be abnormal to keep it if we are saying you need to live with Covid like any other illness.
“Because then people can say – why don’t I get the payment for flu, or whatever or another illness.”
Downing St said that while the law would be dropped health guidance would remain.
Mr Johnson’s spokesman said: “Obviously in the same way that someone with flu, we wouldn’t recommend they go to work, we would never recommend anyone goes to work when they have an infectious disease.”
But with cases still relatively high it’s important to take a test and isolate if you have any known symptoms, such as a cough, sore throat or are generally feeling unwell.
