Covid infections continue to plunge as UK records another 10,972 cases

Britain has recorded a further 10,972 Covid cases today – down 31 per cent on last Sunday.

In a positive sign for Boris Johnson‘s ‘roadmap’ out of lockdown, today’s daily case load is almost a third smaller than the 15,845 reported this time last week.

Today’s death toll of 258 has also decreased week-on-week, with the figure standing at 30 per cent smaller than the 373 recorded last Sunday.

Today’s drop in weekly figures will no-doubt be a boost for Boris Johnson, who is set to announce his plans to bring the country out of its third draconian lockdown later this month.

It follows massive pressure from Tory MPs who fear huge collateral damage is being done to the country and economy. 

Primary and secondary schools are set to reopen from March 8, while picnics in the park will be back on the agenda and ‘al fresco’ meet-ups in pubs allowed from April, it was claimed today. 

The numbers also come same day the UK hit the landmark of 15million people vaccinated.

The total given jabs passed the huge figure – enough to have covered everyone in the four most vulnerable groups – with ministers praising the ‘amazing’ effort over just 10 weeks.

The PM hailed the ‘extraordinary feat’, although he stressed no-one was ‘resting on their laurels’ and the focus was now on reaching the top nine categories – around 32million people – by the end of April.

‘Over two months this country has achieved an extraordinary feat, administering a total of 15 million jabs into the arms of the most vulnerable people in the country,’ Mr Johnson said in a video posted on his Twitter feed.

He added: ‘It has been a truly national, UK-wide effort. We have done it together.’

The number was crested after England administers another 429,497 first doses in 24 hours, plus 2,186 second doses. Scotland added 50,601, while Wales gave 22,555. Even without the daily figure for Northern Ireland it means 15,058,859 people in the UK have now received vaccines.

But the breakthrough will heap pressure on Mr Johnson to bring forward the timetable for relaxing the restrictions that Conservatives fear are doing huge collateral damage.

The Coronavirus Research Group, which includes around 70 MPs, is calling for coronavirus restrictions to be lifted entirely by May when the top nine categories should be covered. 

The current thinking in No10 is that the beleaguered hospitality industry could lift its shutters from the beginning of April.

In a break from previous rules, the 10pm curfew and the requirement to have a substantial meal with alcohol will be abandoned. Restrictions on sports such as tennis and golf, where social distancing is easier, are likely to be eased in April.

The local ‘tiers’ system that was in place before the blanket lockdown is being ditched, with England due to move as a whole through the next phases of relaxation.

Scientists have been urging a much more cautious approach than Tories want, warning that infections remain high and the threat of variant strains emerging that can dodge vaccines is too great.

In interviews this morning, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab dismissed the CRG timeline as ‘arbitrary’.

He said ‘our priority will be schools’, but warned it is too early to be sure what will be possible as more data will come in over the next week. ‘It is absolutely right that until we change the rules we need full compliance,’ he said.

Government sources told MailOnline the ‘hope’ is that all schools can be reopened on March 8, but it will depend on the information that comes in over the next week.