Boris Johnson has said there is a “prospect” the coronavirus lockdown in England can be eased in mid-February.
The Prime Minister told a No 10 press conference: “When a very considerable proportion of the most vulnerable groups have been vaccinated … then there really is the prospect of beginning the relaxation of some of these measures.
“But you will also appreciate there are a lot of caveats, a lot of ifs built into that, the most important of which is that we all now follow the guidance.”
Hospital admissions of people with Covid-19 have reached another record high, NHS England figures also show.
A total of 3,351 admissions in England were reported for January 3, passing the previous record of 3,145 on January 2.
During the first wave of the virus, admissions peaked at 3,099 on April 1 2020.
The number comprises all patients admitted in the previous 24 hours who were known to have Covid-19, plus any patients diagnosed in hospital with Covid-19 in the previous 24 hours.
