Daily UK Covid cases fall to lowest level since mid-September as 3,402 more people test positive and another 52 die

UK DAILY Covid cases have fallen to the lowest level since mid-September - as the infection toll increased by 3,402 today.

In the last 24 hours, 52 coronavirus deaths were recorded - bringing the total number of Covid deaths in the UK to 126,816.

🦠 Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates...

And today's coronavirus case toll brings the total grim figure to 4,353,668.

The last time the daily infection figure was so low was on September 17, 2020 - when 3,395 Covid cases were recorded in the UK.

Yesterday, 4,479 more cases of Covid were reported in Britain, while 51 people lost their lives to the virus.

But today's infection figure is down from this time last week, when 6,187 positive cases of the virus were recorded.

And the daily death toll was also higher on March 26, when 70 fatalities were reported in the UK - meaning there has been a 25 per cent drop in a week.

NHS England data shows that the total number of first doses of the vaccine given throughout the whole of the UK now stands at 31,301,267.

The UK's blitz vaccine campaign will hopefully be the key to bringing the country out of full lockdown within the next few months.

But Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director of Public Health England, said earlier this week: “It is encouraging that the death rate is falling.

"But there are still as many people in hospital now as there were at the start of the second wave, and tens of thousands of us are getting infected every week and could become seriously ill.

"As restrictions lift and the weather improves, we cannot drop our guard. We’re not out of the woods quite yet.

“Until all of us are protected it remains essential to follow the steps we know stop the virus from spreading.

"Case numbers are still high in certain places and looking forward they are certainly not predictable. So your actions are still saving lives.”

It comes as...

• The country is "not yet" at the stage where families and friends can meet inside, says PM
• Covid cases are rising in 38 places in England, with hotspots spread across the country
• Boris Johnson faces a rebellion over the Covid passport plan as 72 MPs including 40 Tories joined forces in bid to block it
• Four more countries have been added to the UK's travel red list - Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya, and Bangladesh
• UK regulators have declared another 25 cases of blood clots in people who have had the AstraZeneca vaccine, but experts say the benefits still outweigh any risks
• The R rate has remained stable in England at 0.8 to 1

Meanwhile, thousands of Brits have hit the beach today to soak up the last of the sun.

But Boris Johnson has urged people not to meet indoors or stay overnight as temperatures plummet over the Easter weekend.

Speaking in a video on social media this morning, the PM issued a warning to anyone planning to see loved ones for the first time in months over Easter.

He said the country is "not yet" at the stage where families and friends can meet inside, even if they have been vaccinated.

Mr Johnson added: "We're very much in a world where you can meet friends and family outdoors under the rule of six or two households.

"And even though friends and family members may be vaccinated, the vaccines are not giving 100 per cent protection and that's why we just need to be cautious.

"We don't think they entirely reduce or remove the risk of transmission."

And Government data has revealed how the outbreak is changing in the last few weeks of the national lockdown.

COVID CASES

It shows that on the whole, cases are dwindling across the nation and are no higher than 172 cases per 100,000 people in Rotherham.

There are increases in a quarter of the 149 authorities.

But most of these are barely up 10 per cent, and could just be down to a handful of new cases.

And today, four more countries were added to the UK's travel red list - banning all visitors over fears of Covid variants.

International travellers from the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya and Bangladesh will be refused entry into England from 4am on Friday, April 9.

Only people with British and Irish citizenship - or residence rights in the UK - will be allowed to enter England from next Friday.

But Brits who do arrive from these countries will be required to self-isolate in a government-approved hotel quarantine facility for 10 days - costing £1,750 per person.

They will also be required to take a coronavirus test on day two and day eight - and they will NOT be allowed to shorten their quarantine period if they get a negative test result.

All other travellers from these countries are banned from entering England.