Covid state of play: Steep drop in infection rate while vaccine rollout picks up speed
The number of people infected with Covid-19 continues to fall across the UK, according to new data published today.
According to fresh Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures, around one in 1,340 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to 8 May, down from one in 1,180 the previous week.
This is the lowest figure since September of last year. The figures relate to people living in private households and do not include care homes, hospitals and prisons.
In Wales, around one in 4,230 people are estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to May 8 – down from one in 2,070 in the previous week. In Northern Ireland, the estimate is around one in 1,430 people, down from one in 750.
The estimate for Scotland is around one in 1,250, down from one in 760 and the lowest since estimates began for Scotland in October.
Meanwhile, nearly 36m Brits had received a first vaccine dose as of 12 May, with just under 19m receiving their second jab.
The data shows that around three-quarters of people in England aged 60 and over had had both doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
An estimated 75.2 per cent of people in this age group had received both jabs as of 9 May, meaning they are fully vaccinated against coronavirus.
Nearly four out of five residents at older adult care homes in England have now received both doses of coronavirus vaccine, according to new figures from NHS England.
The latest data showed that 77.9 per cent of residents eligible for the vaccine had received both doses by 9 May. This compared to 55.9 per cent of staff at older adult care homes.
Moreover, some 28.6 per cent of people aged 55 to 59 are estimated to have had both doses, along with 23 per cent of people aged 50 to 54, 18.2 per cent of people aged 45 to 49 and 16.4% of people aged 40 to 44.
Meanwhile, an estimated 82.1 per cent of people classified as clinically extremely vulnerable had received both doses of coronavirus vaccine.
The proportion of people aged 16 to 64 in an “at-risk group” or who are unpaid carers to have received a second jab by this date was 32.2 per cent, the data suggested.
An estimated 90.2 per cent of frontline NHS trust staff in England had been given both doses of coronavirus vaccine, the figures suggested.
