Covid-19: UK records 828 deaths and 18,262 cases
6 February 2021, 16:36
The UK has recorded a further 828 Covid-19 deaths and 18,262 cases in the past 24 hours, the Government has said.
The number of deaths, 28 days after a positive test, still remains high with a seven-day average of 1,000 a day.
But cases, hospitalisations and deaths continue to fall as the lockdown pushes down the number of people mixing in the community.
The figures bring the total number of cases in the UK to 3,929,835 and deaths to 112,092 - one of the highest in the world.
Read more: Boris Johnson warns it is 'still early days' to talk about lifting lockdown
New infections have dropped by 25% in the last week, while the number of hospitalisations and deaths are both down 20% on the previous seven days.
Separate figures from the UK's statistics agencies, which count deaths where Covid-19 appears on the death certificate, show there have now been 129,000 deaths involving the virus in the UK.
Boris Johnson: "Encouraging progress this week, but we’re not there yet"
Government data up to February 5 shows of the 11,975,267 jabs given in the UK so far, with 11,465,210 first doses - a rise of 494,163 on the previous day's figures.
Some 510,057 were second doses - an increase of 4,064 on the previous day.
Read more: Ten dead after Covid outbreak at Scottish care home
Based on the latest figures, an average of 392,754 first doses of vaccine would be needed each day in order to meet the Government's target of 15 million first doses by February 15.
Despite lockdown turning the tide on the virus, Boris Johnson has warned that it is "still early days" to start talking about lifting restrictions.
The Prime Minister has committed to setting out a "road map" later this month for easing restrictions as he faces pressure from Conservative MPs to relax the current lockdown once the most vulnerable have been vaccinated.
Tight lockdown measures until at least May, SAGE member warns
Downing Street confirmed on Friday that the vaccine programme planned to reach all those aged 50 and over, as well as adults aged 16-65 in an at-risk group, by May.
It follows warnings from top scientists on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) warned that it will "take a long time" to get infection rates back under control and that loosening restrictions now would undo much of the work since the new year.
Read more: 'No way out' of pandemic unless cases reduce drastically, warns SAGE member
Professor John Edmunds, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told LBC: "It's a dreadful thing to say but there's no way out of it."
"We're coming down from an incredibly high peak," he added, "it'll take a long time to get that down to low levels."
