The Health Secretary Sajid Javid has hailed the end of Plan B Covid restrictions in England as "a moment we can all be proud of".
Sajid Javid has said Omicron is “in retreat” but warned that now is not the “finish line” in the fight against coronavirus.
Saying there is a fall in infections and hospital admissions, Mr Javid told a Downing Street press conference: “This plan has worked and the data shows that Omicron is in retreat.”
Number of people testing positive for Covid in the UK
UK Government
He described the relaxation of measures as a “major milestone”, adding: “But it’s not the end of the road and we shouldn’t see this as the finish line because we cannot eradicate this virus and its future variants.
“Instead we must learn to live with Covid in the same way we have to live with flu. And we will be setting out our long-term plan for living with Covid-19 this spring.”
Number of people in hospital and mechanical ventilator beds with Covid in the UK
UK Government
The Health Secretary praised the booster roll-out scheme saying "we have smashed records again and again".
Sajid Javid said "thanks to this huge collective effort we are more boosted than any country in Europe".
Booster uptake for comparator countries
UK Government
The Health Secretary claimed that the Plan B Covid measures are "why we are the most open country in Europe".
A total of 52,151,643 first doses of Covid-19 vaccine had been delivered in the UK by January 18, Government figures show.
Critical care admissions and Covid vaccination status in England
UK Government
This is a rise of 18,032 on the previous day.
Some 48,019,069 second doses have been delivered, an increase of 29,434.
Number of people aged 12 and over who have received a vaccination for Covid in the UK
UK Government
A combined total of 36,621,671 booster and third doses have been given, a day-on-day rise of 75,088.
Separate totals for booster and third doses are not available.
Dr Susan Hopkins told the press conference case numbers will depend on the removal of Plan B.
She said: “We’ve seen cases fall for the last two weeks and that is good news and actually they’re starting to fall all across the country in all regions.
“There is, of course, some age differences – some age groups are seeing plateaus or some still slight rises.
“Therefore, while we believe that overall we will continue to see declines in cases, that may plateau at some point as the infection is in various different populations.
“It’s very hard to see beyond two to three weeks and clearly the biggest change that’s going to happen is people’s behaviour, and how they react to the removal of Plan B will determine how fast infection can spread in the population.
“The biggest response that we all have as individuals is to take our personal behaviour seriously and that really is driving towards vaccination uptake, as well as remembering to wear our face coverings when you’re in closed spaces with people that you don’t know.”