Just one in 600 people in England had Covid last week

Just one in 600 people in England had Covid last week, official figures suggest, as the outbreak continued to shrink in the face of shops, beer gardens and hairdressers welcoming back customers.

The Office for National Statistics estimated 90,000 people had the virus in the week to April 16, a fifth fewer than the previous week. This also marked the first time infections have fallen below 100,000 since early September.

England eased a raft of restrictions last Monday to allow Britons to enjoy a pint or meal outdoors for the first time this year, and again browse shops or visit the hairdressers. The next relaxation – which will see holidays and indoor hospitality permitted –  is not set until May 17.

Boris Johnson is under mounting pressure to speed up England’s roadmap out of lockdown, as separate promising statistics on hospitalisations show there are now fewer than 2,000 Covid patients in hospitals. There were almost 34,000 in the darkest days of January.

Professor Karol Sikora, an expert in medicine at Buckingham University, today told MailOnline the Prime Minister should start bringing forward his dates for relaxing restrictions now there was less pressure on the NHS.

He added the vaccines – which have already been dished out to 33million Britons – should ensure hospitals don’t suffer the same level of admissions they did at the height of the second wave.

Professor Tim Spector, who leads a symptom-tracking app, added that the positive figures suggested tight restrictions on care homes – where only two named visitors are allowed – should be eased further.