Covid UK: Cases fall 28% in week to 4,052 while deaths halve to 43 - Money

Britain’s daily Covid cases fall by 28% in week to 4,052 while deaths halve to 43 – as UK hands out 270,000 second doses with top-ups outnumbering first jabs

Britain confirmed a further 4,052 cases of the virus and another 43 fatalities – down 56 per cent in a week
Dr Yvonne Doyle from Public Health England warned Britons not to ‘drop our guard’ against the pandemic
It came amid the second day of record-breaking March heat as many flocked to beaches and parks

By Luke Andrews Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 16:32 BST, 31 March 2021 | Updated: 16:43 BST, 31 March 2021

Britain’s daily Covid cases have fallen by 28 per cent in a week, official figures revealed today as crowds flocked to parks and beaches amid the second day of record-breaking March heat.

Department of Health bosses posted 4,052 lab-confirmed cases and another 43 fatalities – down 56 per cent on last Wednesday.

The vaccination drive also dished out more second doses than first shots for the first time since it was launched in December, after 270,526 were administered compared to 224,590. Ministers had warned they would need to start dishing out second doses en masse as the clock ticks down to the crucial 12-week jabbing deadline.

Dr Yvonne Doyle, Public Health England’s medical director, said it was ‘encouraging’ to see that deaths were still falling but warned Britons ‘we cannot drop our guard’ against the virus.

‘There are still as many people in hospital now as there were at the start of the second wave, and tens of thousands of us are getting infected every week and could become seriously ill,’ she said. ‘As restrictions lift and the weather improves, we cannot drop our guard. We’re not out of the woods quite yet.’

She urged Britons to continue washing their hands, wearing facemasks and social distancing to stop Covid from spreading, adding: ‘Case numbers are still high in certain places and looking forward they are certainly not predictable, so your actions are still saving lives.’

It came as revellers were making the most of their newfound freedom this week after coronavirus restrictions were partially lifted on Monday, allowing up to six people or two households of any size to meet outdoors.

But many threw caution to the wind, with hundreds enjoying a sundown party on the beach in Brighton last night while seafronts, parks and promenades were packed in Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham, Birmingham and London.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick today urged people to make the most the latest easing of lockdown restrictions in England in a ‘sensible, cautious’ manner, enjoying the sunshine but also being careful and sticking to the rules.

Their comments come after the Prime Minister said he hoped people would take advantage of the ‘beautiful weather’ to play sport or exercise, while also emphasising the country should still ‘proceed with caution’.