Covid-19 cases fall for fifth day in a row raising hopes that ‘Freedom Day’ catastrophe has been averted

Hopes are increasing that Britain may have passed the peak of its third wave of the pandemic as cases fell for the fifth day in a row yesterday.

The trend is borne out of the seven-day average, which has seen a significant fall. Last week cases were at 46,558, they currently fall at 29,173, the first time they have fallen below 30,000 for two weeks.

The seven-day average reflects the falling numbers: it has gone from 46,024 a week ago to 38,268 now, a decline of around 17 per cent.

Boris Johnson, despite pressing ahead with his so-called “Freedom Day”, had urged caution and was said to be wary about the reopening owing to the rising case numbers.

Professor Neil Ferguson, so often the doomsday forecaster of the pandemic, predicted cases rising to 100,000 as “almost inevitable”. Since his prediction cases have fallen by 40 per cent.

The figures have shocked both the scientists and the politicians, as reported by Playbook. Sajid Javid only recently was also talking of cases hitting the 100,000 mark.

Professor Paul Hunter of the University of East Anglia has called the case numbers “remarkable”.

While strict lockdowns have been used in the previous two waves, this time around the government opted for the vaccine route.

It was a strategy that was derided by many, including the World Health Organisation’s Mike Ryan who called the move to open up on the 19 July “epidemiological stupidity”.

Paul Hunter, professor in medicine at the University of East Anglia, had said that he expected to see a fall in cases, but not one this dramatic.

I would like to wait until next weekend to see what impact if any [England’s reopening] has on the epidemic before getting really excited,” he said.