According to the ONS, covid levels are begun to fall in the UK.

According to the Office for National Statistics, the number of people infected with coronavirus in the UK is decreasing (ONS).

In the week leading up to April 9, almost 4.4 million people had the virus in their bodies, down from roughly 4.9 million the week before.

About one-fifth of the population is infected with the virus.

The report, which relies on its provides the most accurate picture of the virus's spread since free testing in England was discontinued.

"Infections have thankfully begun to drop throughout most parts of the UK," said Sarah Crofts of the ONS.

"It is too early to say if we have passed the peak of infections, and infections overall remain high."

In the week leading up to 9 April, the ONS estimates:

Coronavirus was found in one out of every fourteen people in England, or 6.9% of the population - down from 7.6% last week.

Coronavirus was found in one out of every 13 people in Wales, or 7.6%, which is the same as last week.

Coronavirus was found in one out of every 19 people in Northern Ireland, or roughly 5.2 percent, down from 6.2 percent last week.

Coronavirus was found in one out of every 17 people in Scotland, or around 6% of the population, down from 7.5 percent the previous week.

In much of England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, Covid rates are declining. They appear to have reached a nadir in Wales, but continue to rise in north-east England, which now has the highest rates of any region in the UK.

The total decrease will be great news for the NHS, which is under severe strain.

The number of people waiting for normal NHS care has reached a new high of 6.2 million. Only 71 percent of patients are seen, treated, admitted, or discharged in less than four hours in A&E, compared to 87 percent in March 2019 - before the pandemic began.

However, the number of persons admitted to hospitals in the UK with Covid is beginning to decline. By the end of March, the numbers had grown from over 1,100 a day in mid-February to nearly 2,400. Since then, it has reduced to around 2,250 each day.