Britain has recorded another 66,638 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours, while the death toll has risen by 206.
The latest official figures, released by the Department for Health this afternoon, show a 24% decrease on confirmed infections from this time last week.
Last Thursday (February 3) saw a total of 88,171 cases recorded.
Deaths, meanwhile, decreased from 303 - or by 32%.
Case numbers have substantially dropped since peaking around New Year’s - with 245,182 recorded on January 4.
However, the lag between catching Covid and falling ill, and then falling seriously ill and dying, means death rates were initially spiking in the weeks after.
The latest available daily hospital admission figures are 1,308, from February 6, which was a 10.7% decrease over the previous week.
The UK recorded 68,214 cases yesterday - down by 26% on last Wednesday.
While the death toll increased by 276, exactly half the number of those recorded seven days prior.
The official number of recorded infections across the country throughout the pandemic now stands at 18,162,199, with deaths at 159,158.
It comes after an expert warned the UK population must now take over responsibility to protect ourselves from Covid despite what the government says.
On Tuesday, Boris Johnson announced a shock plan to end all Covid self-isolation laws in England in just two weeks' time - around a month earlier than planned.
The announcement came after it emerged last month a new sub-variant of Omicron had been found, the BA.2 'stealth' variant.
Denis Kinane, a world leading immunologist and founding scientist at Cignpost diagnostics, said estimates show the BA.2 variant to be 33% more infectious than the first Omicron strain though it has not been deemed any more dangerous.
Mr Kinane predicts that will eventually mean the new sub-variant will become the dominant one.
The Professor of immunology at Bern University in Switzerland said current data on infections and deaths show there is still concern and insisted we have a duty to ourselves and our families to continue to be careful despite what the Government says.
He said he understands the Government's position and why it would look at reducing restrictions - but said the public now needs to exercise its own caution.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has refused to say whether he will resign if he is fined by police over the Partygate saga.
The Prime Minister is expected to be among some 50 people quizzed by Scotland Yard over rule-breaking gatherings in Downing Street and Whitehall during the pandemic.
The Metropolitan Police are sending out legal questionnaires in the coming days - and those involved could be slapped with fines.
Mr Johnson is believed to have attended six of the 12 gatherings police are investigating, including a BYOB bash in the Downing Street garden and an alleged party in his No11 flat.
No 10 said the PM has not yet been contacted by police, but added: "We would look to confirm contact of this sort as relates to the Prime Minister given the significant public interest."
Barrister Adam Wagner suggested the PM could be in line for £10,000 in fines if he is found to have broken the rules.
