Dramatic maps show how the UK's Covid situation has changed in the past six months - as Boris Johnson faces pressure to reveal whether restrictions can be lifted on June 21.
In December the virus was running rampant around the country as the Prime Minister dithered, costing tens of thousands of lives and leaving many hospitals at breaking point.
However it was a different picture at the end of last month, with infection levels far lower - although fears are rife that the Indian variant, now referred to as the Delta strain, could scupper plans to unlock England.
Number 10 this week said there was "nothing in the data" to suggest the roadmap cannot proceed, but many scientists have voiced alarm that this could prompt a third wave.
An exclusive poll by The Mirror found half of Britons think the PM should delay this month's planned lifting of lockdown.
Fifty per cent believed Mr Johnson should postpone triggering Step Four of the Government's “roadmap”, but 38% thought he should go ahead and order the next stage of relaxations.
In late December most areas in the UK had infection rates of more than 100 per 100,000 people, and days later the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated that one in 50 people had the virus.
London and the South East were among the areas with the highest number of infections after a new variant emerged in Kent, and was first detected in November.
On December 29, 53,135 new cases were confirmed by the Department of Health, with 458 deaths.
It stands in stark contrast with the map for May 29, six months later, by which stage more than 39 million people had received one jab of a Covid vaccine and nearly 25 million had two.
On that day 3,420 new cases were identified and seven fatalities announced.
However the arrival of the Delta variant on these shores has worried scientists, and the latest map shows new hotspots in the North West, including Bolton and Blackburn.
Yesterday's Department of Health update revealed that new infections are up nearly 40 per cent across the UK in just a week.
In the past seven days 26,972 people have tested positive for the virus, a 38.9 per cent rise, while 54 people have died.
Hospital admissions have risen slightly, but remain a fraction of the number during the winter peak, with 919 people being treated for the virus across the UK.
In mid January that figure was more than 39,000.
Today scientists from the independent Sage committee called on the government to "pause" its unlocking in England - and even warned that another lockdown could be needed if cases continue to rise.
By January England was in full lockdown, with tens of thousands of cases being confirmed every day.
On January 8 the number topped 68,000, but this had begun to fall by the end of the month, with 29,079 on January 29.
The Department of Health announced 1,245 lives had been lost that day.
Parts of the North West, Midlands and London were recording the highest rates by that time.
By late February, nearly two months into England's national lockdown, the picture was much more encouraging, with cases down across the country.
There were 6,035 confirmed infections on the last day of the month, with much of the country, including London and Kent, having infection rates of less than 100 per 100,000 people.
A worrying band stretched across Greater Manchester and into the Midlands, but the map a month later shows much cases had decreased.
On March 29 the Department of Health announced 4,654 people had tested positive for coronavirus the previous day.
By late April the UK was moving firmly in the right direction, with most parts of the country recording rates of less than 50 per 100,000, with many below 10.
Hospital admissions were dropping, and on April 29 2,445 cases were confirmed - just over half the figure of a week earlier.
Just over two weeks earlier non-essential shops had been allowed to reopen and hospitality venues such as pubs, cafes and restaurants were permitted to serve people outside.
Rules have been relaxed still further since then, with indoor gatherings and non-essential overseas permitted from May 17.
But the government now faces calls not to rush to unlock further, with Boris Johnson's "freedom day" pencilled in for June 21.
A spokesperson for Independent Sage said: “We are currently witnessing a rapid increase in Covid-19 cases in England.
“Public Health England figures released on 3rd June suggest that the Delta variant has spread widely across the UK and is continuing to spread, that it has higher infectivity than the previous circulating variant, and that it is more likely to cause disease and hospitalisation.
“There is increasing evidence that vaccine efficacy is compromised against this variant, and that individuals remain at particular risk until they receive two doses.
“There is some evidence that protection from two doses wanes after a number of months, particularly in the elderly.
“Meanwhile, cases are surging in school aged children, and spreading into the community, particularly amongst those yet to be fully vaccinated.
"It is clear that the link between infection and hospitalisation has not yet been fully broken."
“We wish to avoid another full lockdown, which will damage education and people’s wellbeing as well as the economy. This requires reversing the growth in cases.
