Drop in UK Covid-19 cases indicates infections may have passed peak

Britain believes its latest surge in Covid-19 cases may have passed its peak.

On Monday, the number of new cases fell for a sixth consecutive day, to 24,950.

The figure was down from 29,173 on Sunday and the lowest daily total reported since July 4.

In the past week, the number of new cases was about a quarter of a million, about a fifth fewer than in the previous week.

Britain is being closely watched by health experts and financial analysts around the world.

On July 19, England lifted most legal restrictions to stem the spread of the virus, not long after new cases reached their highest since mid-January.

The government of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson judged that the risk of a big wave of deaths or of people needing hospital treatment would be low.

He said this was because the proportion of people vaccinated would reduce the risk of serious illness, even if it did not stop milder symptoms nor the spread of infection.

But employers have reported widespread absences of staff who were required to self-isolate after coming into contact with people who had tested positive for Covid-19.

The UK has reported 129,172 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test during the pandemic, the highest official total in Europe after Russia.

Monday’s data showed 14 new deaths, down from 28 on Sunday and the lowest daily figure since July 12. There were 445 deaths in the past seven days, 50 per cent more than during the week before.

About 46.5 million people in the UK – or 69.7 per cent – have received one Covid-19 vaccine dose. Of these, 37.2 million people, or 55.6 per cent of the population, are fully immunised.