The number of people infected with coronavirus in the UK today rose to 124,743Credit: Reuters
According to the Department of Health, 124,743 people have now tested positive for the killer bug with the death toll rising to 16,509.
Today, 439 fatalities were reported which is the lowest increase for a fortnight.
The increase of the number of infections is the lowest jump for four days – and significantly less than yesterday’s rise of 5,850.
Meanwhile, it has now emerged that today is the seventh day in a row that hospital admissions had fallen.
The new tally comes as a government adviser yesterday said the UK had probably passed the first coronavirus peak.
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PASSED THE PEAK?
England’s daily fatality figures were the lowest recorded in a month after recording 319 deaths on March 31.
Scotland today recorded 12 more fatalities, bringing its total to 915.
A further nine people have died after testing positive for coronavirus in Wales, bringing the total number of deaths there to 584. Northern Ireland announced another 13 cases.
And the figure was about a third down from Saturday's 888 increase, although statistics released over the weekend are generally lower.
According to the latest NHS England numbers released today, patients killed by the bug included people aged between 40 and 101-years-old.
LOCKDOWN
Over the weekend, a possible exit strategy was revealed that would see the country eased out of lockdown if infection rates slow in the next four weeks.
But pubs could remain closed until Christmas as part of the lockdown.
And Boris Johnson reportedly warned he was very cautious about lifting the shutdown for fear of a second wave.
The PM reportedly shared his views during a two-hour meeting on Friday, with a source telling the Times: "The idea that we will be rushing to lift measures is a non-starter."
Last night, the Cabinet Office led issued a furious rebuttal of claims it had mishandled the crisis and Boris Johnson had missed crucial Cobra meetings.
Ministers had earlier been forced to defend the PM after claims that he was absent from COBRA meetings held to discuss a possible pandemic coming out of China in January and February.
Livid Number 10 officials released a 14-point assessment of a lengthy article in The Times, which they said “misrepresents” their work.
The response said: "This is an unprecedented global pandemic and we have taken the right steps at the right time to combat it, guided at all times by the best scientific advice."
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