Britain’s daily Covid cases fall by a third in a week with 2,763 more infections

Britain’s daily Covid cases fall by a third in a week with 2,763 more infections – while deaths rise slightly to 45

  • Department of Health chiefs said they had identified 2,763 cases and 45 Covid deaths in the past 24 hours
  • More than 31.7million Britons – or three in five adults – have now received their first dose of the vaccine
  • Britain’s medical regulator has recommended under-30s be offered an alternative to AstraZeneca’s jab 

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Britain’s daily Covid cases have fallen by a third in a week but deaths rose slightly, official figures revealed today as medical regulators said under-30s should receive an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine.

Department of Health data showed there were 2,763 new lab-confirmed cases recorded and 45 Covid deaths, which was two more than last Wednesday.

More than 31.7million Britons – or three in five adults – have also now received their first dose, after the national drive began to pick up the pace yesterday following the Easter bank holiday.

But in a blow to the programme, the Government’s vaccine advisory group recommended healthy people aged 19 to 29 should be offered either the Pfizer or Moderna jabs when the roll-out is expanded. 

A review by the drugs watchdog the MHRA found that by the end of March, 79 out of 20million Britons vaccinated with the AstraZeneca jab had suffered deadly blood clots in the brain or arteries, a rate of about one in 250,000. Nineteen of these individuals died and three were under the age of 30.