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UK Covid deaths fall by more than a QUARTER in a week with 738 fatalities and 12,718 cases in past 24 hours
COVID deaths in the UK have fallen by more than a quarter in a week with 738 more fatalities reported today.
Daily infections have also dropped by 24 per cent week-on-week with 12,718 new cases bringing the total number to 4,071,185.
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The total number of deaths now stands at 118,933.
Today's rise of 738 is lower than a week ago when 1,001 fatalities were recorded.
It comes as...
- An extra 1.7 million Brits were urged to shield and will be prioritised for vaccines
- Boris is to receive a Covid data dossier tomorrow that will decide fate of Britain’s roadmap out of lockdown
- The 16 places where cases have grown have been revealed
- Experts have warned four common Covid symptoms MUST be added to official list
Yesterday, the UK recorded 10,625 Covid cases and 799 deaths in the last 24 hours.
Deaths have continued to drop in a tentative sign Britain is getting over the darkest days of the pandemic.
There is also hope lockdown could be eased soon as the UK's Herculean vaccine rollout continues.
A total of 15,940,972 Brits have now received their first dose, with 558,577 given a second jab.
Boris Johnson today confirmed the shutdown will be lifted in stages as he prepares to reveal his roadmap next Monday.
The PM said he'll take a "cautious and prudent approach" to rolling back restrictions.
Boris said: "We'll be setting out what we can on Monday 22 about the way ahead, and it'll be based firmly on a cautious and prudent approach to coming out of lockdown in such a way as to be irreversible.
“We want to be going one way from now on based on the incredible vaccination rollout.
"I certainly think that we need to go in stages, we need to go cautiously.
"You have to remember from last year that we opened up hospitality fully, that was one of the last things that that we did because there is obviously an extra risk of transmission from hospitality
“I know there's there's a lot of understandable speculation, people are coming up with theories about what we're going to do and what we're going to say and about rates of infection and so on.
"I would just advise everybody just wait, you know, we'll try and say as much as we can."
He is expected to announce that schools will reopen from March 8.
The opening of non-essential shops is expected to follow in a major boost to the flailing High Street.
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The hated 10pm curfew and substantial meal rule that left punters and landlords baffled is also reportedly going out the window.
The PM is also expected to scrap the confusing tier system as many experts believe it did little to prevent the spread of the virus.
Lockdown should be eased SOONER than planned, says Sage expert
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