Covid infections in UK at ‘lowest level’ since Christmas

LONDON: Covid-19 infections across the UK are now at their lowest level since before Christmas, new data shows.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show there were an estimated 1.5 million people in private households with the virus in the week to May 7, down from two million the previous week.

In England, infections have fallen for the fifth week running, with 1.2 million people likely to test positive for Covid-19, the equivalent of about one in 45 people.

This is down from 1.6 million, or one in 35, and is the lowest estimate since the week ending December 16.

Wales has seen infections drop for the fourth week in a row, with 88,300 people estimated to have coronavirus, or one in 35, down from 131,600, or one in 25, and also the lowest since the week to December 16.

Meanwhile, in Scotland, Covid-19 infections are now at their lowest since the week ending December 23, with about one in 35 infected.

This is down from one in 30 in the previous week.

The virus is least prevalent in Northern Ireland, where infections have dropped to their lowest level since early November. One in 55 were infected there, down from one in 40.