The UK has recorded 29,173 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, down 20% compared to the 37,011 recorded on the same day last week.
There were 56 deaths recorded, a drop from the 68 recorded last Sunday, according to latest figures from Public Health England.
Up to 89% of those aged 16 and above have had the first dose of a Covid jab, while 80.8% have now had both doses, the equivalent of 48m and 43m people respectively.
It comes as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to repeal emergency lockdown powers as part of his winter plan to tackle Covid as he relies on booster jabs to contain the spread of the virus.
The Mirror reported on Saturday evening how the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI) is expected to give the go-ahead this week for the most vulnerable to have a third jab.
That will give the Prime Minister the all-clear to get doses in arms in a matter of days after that.
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Mr Johnson will, on the other hand, repeal lockdown laws that gave police power to detain those who tested positive to Covid and shut businesses that stayed open.
It is also believed that the government will next week announce plans to vaccinate children aged between 12 and 15 as soon as September 22.
NHS bosses are said to have already been informed about the roll out, while schools have reportedly been told to prepare for the immunisation effort.
The government is understood to be waiting for the country's four Chief Medical Officers (CMO) to advise on whether 12 to 15-year-old should be jabbed, after the JCVI said benefits would only be "marginal" compared to potential harms.
The estimated 200,000 clinically vulnerable children from the age group or those whose relatives are deemed to be at risk of Covid-19 are already eligible for the jab.
The move comes as hospitals in some areas have started to cancel operations as Covid cases have already started to surge.
And tonight NHS experts warned extra pressures from the coronavirus could mean the UK’s record waiting lists could take seven years to clear.
Figures published this weekend reveal 8,085 people are in hospital with Covid – a six-month high. The number has gone up by 6% in a week and is at its highest since early March.
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Independent SAGE’s Professor Anthony Costello warned a Covid crisis will add to waiting lists, which this week reached a record 5.6million.
NHS Confederation chief Matthew Taylor painted an even bleaker picture. He said: “If Covid were to disappear and we weren’t to face any other disease, it’s reasonable to hope the NHS could get back to normal in three years.
“But if Covid stays, we could be facing a backlog of six to seven years.
“The funding is just not there. Waiting lists will continue to grow.
“We’ve got to keep a very, very careful eye on this – the health service is running at full capacity."
