COVID-19 cases reduces in the UK, peak period passed

The UK is "past the peak" of this stream of coronavirus, England's chief pharmaceutical officer said at a press conference on Wednesday, suggesting, however, that hospitalizations continued high.

There are currently 32,000 COVID victims in hospitals in the UK, but that number is starting to come down, officials said. They see a "steady decline" in COVID-19 diseases, with just over 19,000 new viruses recorded in 24 hours. Earlier in January, the UK consistently registered more than 50,000 new infections per day.

But the death toll in the country continues high, officials said, with the people recording 1,322 deaths in a day to bring the total amount of deaths to more than 109,000.

The UK has been trading with a rapid spread of the virus due to a more transmissible variant. But so far, the country has treated more than 10 million people and hopes that the vaccinations will also begin to have an impact.

It is thanks to the NHS that the UK "today crossed the milestone of 10 million treatments in the United Kingdom, including almost 90% of the aged 75 and over in England and every single person in a care home," Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

But many of those people have only got the first dose, as the UK has been delaying other doses to vaccinate more people.

The government had set a goal of protecting people over 70, care home people and workers, and frontline health workers by mid-February.

Prof Whitty said that this should affect deaths but that people over the age of 70 only accounted for 54% of hospitalizations.