UK COVID cases drop by almost a third in a week – Map shows rate of new infections in your area
Coronavirus cases in the UK have dropped by almost a third in a week as the vaccine rollout continues.
Health secretary Matt Hancock on Monday reaffirmed the downward trend in deaths and hospitalisations, saying it was a "sign that the vaccine is working".
However, it came after warnings from deputy chief science officer Jonathan Van-Tam that infections are still rising in one in five UK areas.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries not to abandon public health measures like lockdowns as cases rise across Europe despite the vaccine rollouts.
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According to the latest UK government statistics, cases have fallen by a third in the last week.
Between 24 February and 2 March, 53,761 people had a confirmed positive test result, showing a decrease of 29.4% compared to the previous seven days.
Downing Street’s latest rolling case figures, for the seven days up to 25 February, the latest date for which accurate data is available, show the number of COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people.
This interactive map shows how many new COVID cases per 100,000 people there were in your area in the week up to 2 March.
Cases are generally lower in the south of England but there is a pocket of higher numbers in the Midlands.
Here are the UK’s top 10 coronavirus hotspots this week:
1. Corby 264.5
2. Leicester 217.9
3. Fenland 214
4. Peterborough 209.6
5. South Holland 203.1
6. Mansfield 196.7
7. Sandwell 195.5
8. Preston 193.5
9. North West Leicestershire 192.1
10. Bury 190.6
Two areas, Orkney Islands and Shetland islands recorded zero cases in the week leading up to 25 February.
On Friday, the latest data revealed that the number of COVID-19 infections in the UK had dropped to less than half the level recorded at the start of the year when all four nations were in full lockdown.
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According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), an estimated 552,900 people had coronavirus in the week ending 12 February.
In the first week of January, an estimated 1,256,600 people had COVID-19 in the UK.
The ONS infection survey estimated that about one in every 115 people in England had COVID-19 between 6 and 12 February, down from around one in 80 the previous week.
It is the lowest figure since the week ending 5 December, when the estimate also stood at one in 115 people.
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