Symptom-tracking app says cases dropped 23% last week with 54,000 new infections each day 

More hope that Britain’s Covid outbreak is on the way out: Symptom-tracking app says cases dropped 23% last week with 54,000 new infections each day

An app monitoring the spread of coronavirus in the UK says cases fell by 23 per cent last week and 54,000 new infections were recorded each day.

The ZOE Covid-19 Symptom Study app asks its 4million users to log whether they are suffering symptoms of the virus daily to track the tide of the second wave.

Its latest figures are an early glimmer of hope that brutal lockdowns have finally started to curb the coronavirus outbreak. 

Scientists at Cambridge University today predicted Britain’s reproduction rate – which measures the spread of the virus – had dropped to 0.6 in London and the South East, in another sign the second wave could be running out of steam.

An R rate below 1 means the total number of infections is shrinking, as not every infected person is passing it on to others.

Public Health England has also revealed weekly Covid cases have fallen in every age group except the over-80s, and Department of Health figures showed dozens of boroughs saw a drop in infection rates. 

Boris Johnson was urged to double his target for 14million vaccinations by mid-February today, to take advantage of the space created by restrictions. 

The UK is expected to have capacity for 3.8million jabs next week – meaning the existing goal of covering the four most vulnerable groups by February 15 should be met.

Another 48,682 infections were recorded yesterday, down 7.5 per cent on the same day last week. But hospital admissions and deaths across Britain have yet to drop, despite Government data showing that both measures have slowed in London and other parts of the country. 

The 54,000 new infections the ZOE app says are occurring every day are a significant drop from the almost 70,000 thought to be happening the week before.

It also estimates the R rate has plunged to 0.9 in England and Wales, but is hovering at 1.0 in Scotland – meaning the outbreak is not shrinking in the region but neither is it rising.

They said overall the lowest number of coronavirus infections per 100,000 residents are in Herefordshire, Lincolnshire and Devon.

But the highest rate was in London, Essex and Bedfordshire.

They added that cases had also plateaued in most age groups including the over 60s – who are more likely to be hospitalised if they catch the virus.

Professor Tim Spector, from King’s College London and who masterminded the app, said it was ‘great’ to see falling numbers of infections across most regions.

‘But numbers are still worryingly high and hospitals will stay under pressure for some time yet,’ he added.

‘With such high numbers and growing evidence new strains are highly transmissible, things can still take a turn for the worse. We need numbers to keep falling before we make any changes to current restrictions.’