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The UK has recorded 17 coronavirus deaths in the last 24-hour period, the lowest daily figure since the end of September.
The number is a marked drop since last Monday, when the UK reported 52 deaths that had occurred within 28 days of a positive COVID-19 test.
The last time the number of daily deaths was lower was on September 28, when there were 13.
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In today’s figures, 5,342 cases were reported, an increase from the 4,618 recorded a week ago.
It occurs when the UK’s record vaccination streak has ended, after 367,006 first doses and 52,612 second doses were administered in the last 24 hours.
Saturday had been the third consecutive day with a record number of vaccinations against the coronavirus as 844,285 people were hit – a figure that was first reported on Sunday.
For an hour on Saturday, the vaccines were delivered at a rate of nearly 27 per second, NHS England said.
It meant that roughly 1.3% of the UK population received a vaccine in that 24-hour period, and more than 2.24 million people received a vaccine in the record three days.
On Friday, 711,156 doses were administered – 589,675 of them were first doses and 121,481 were second – and on Thursday, the number was 660,276 – 528,260 first punctures and 132,016 second doses.
It comes as the UK approaches the end of March, when the vaccine supply is expected to shrink due to problems with shipments from India.
NHS chiefs have said that people under the age of 50 should not be invited to their first dose in April so that the available supply can focus on those over 50 and adults of all ages with underlying health conditions that they are considered to put them at greater risk.
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The government aims to vaccinate all nine priority groups at least once before April 15 and this, combined with the need for people to receive their second dose no more than 12 weeks after the first, will mean that those under 50 years will have to wait longer for their first blow.
The government insists it is on track to offer all adults in the UK at least one dose of the vaccine by the end of July.
Meanwhile, figures from local authority areas in England (in the seven days to March 18) show:
- Of the 315 local areas in England, 138 (44%) have seen an increase in case rates, 171 (54%) have seen a drop and six have not changed
- Barnsley has the highest rate in England, with 483 new cases registered, the equivalent of 195.7 cases per 100,000 people. This is an increase of 147.4 per 100,000 in the previous seven days.
- Corby in Northamptonshire has the second highest rate, 162.0 to 189.7, with 137 new cases
- Redditch in the West Midlands has the third highest rate, from 157.2 to 164.2, with 140 new cases
- Luton had the largest weekly increase: from 93.4 to 141.7
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