Covid cases fell by 13% in England last week to 39,000, Test and Trace figures show

Coronavirus cases continued to tumble in England last week by 14 per cent despite testing nearly doubling, NHS Test and Trace figures show. 

The number of positive tests dropped to 39,118 in the week ending March 10, according to the contact tracing scheme, marking the ninth week in a row cases have fallen. 

The decline came despite swabbing capacity increasing by more than 85 per cent, as children across the country returned to school on March 8 and began regular rapid testing. 

But the number of people who had come into contact with someone who tested positive for the virus that were reached by Tests and Trace call handlers fell for the eighth week in a row.

And an increase in testing will not have yet yielded revealed a possible increase in cases caused by reopening schools, because children will have had enough time to incubate the virus within the time frame of the data.

The figures back up Department of Health data released yesterday showing the positivity rate — one of the best ways of tracking the size of the outbreak when swabbing increases — has continued to fall.

Daily Covid deaths fell by a quarter week-on-week, yesterday’s figures show. A total of 141 fatalities were announced by the Department of Health, which was 49 fewer than the 190 at the same time last week. 

Covid cases have continued to tumble in England, with NHS Test and Trace seeing a 14 per cent fall in infections despite testing nearly doubling to 5.8million

The number of coronavirus tests increased by more than 85 per cent, as children across the country returned to school on March 8 and began regular rapid testing

NHS Test and Trace data show that the number of contacts of people who tested positive for coronavirus identified by the contact-tracing system fell to 88,430, continuing an eight-week trend.

Overall, 81 per cent of contacts were reached by call handlers and told to self-isolate, with Thurrock in Essex seeing the most contacts successfully reach with 90 per cent.

Only 13 areas of the country saw more than 88 per cent of contacts reached, all of which were in the South East or London.

They were: Essex, Sutton in London (both 89 per cent), Barking, Bexley, Bromley, Burton in London and Bracknell in Berkshire, Central Bedfordshire, East Sussex, Medway in Kent and Milton Keynes (all 88 per cent).

Areas in the North fared worse, with six areas having less than 70 per cent of contacts successfully told to move into self-isolation.

Bradford in Yorkshire and Oldham in Greater Manchester had the least, with just 67 per cent of contacts reached by call handlers. 

Overall, 81 per cent of contacts were reached by call handlers and told to self-isolate, with Thurrock in Essex seeing the most contacts successfully reach with 90 per cent

They were followed by Newcastle (68 per cent) and Blackburn in Lancashire, Manchester and Nottingham (all 69 per cent).

Health Secretary Matt Hancock told last night’s Downing Street press conference that deaths were ‘falling so fast’ because of the highly-successful vaccines.

Pointing to new Public Health England’s analysis of the real-world impact of the jabs, he added: ‘After a single dose of either vaccine, protection against Covid-19 is around 60 per cent, that’s protection against getting it, protection against hospitalisation is around 80 per cent and protection against death is around 85 per cent.’  

DOH data also showed another 433,320 first doses of the vaccine were administered today, bringing the total number of Britons with at least one dose of the vaccine to 25.2million. 

Mr Hancock said he was ‘delighted’ that the UK had crossed the milestone in exactly 100 days after the launch of the mammoth operation. The NHS is now officially inviting all over-50s for their jab.