The government has downgraded the Covid-19 alert level in the UK.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said the chief medical officers of the UK nations have jointly recommended that the Covid alert level moves from level three to level two.
A level two alert means that “Covid-19 is in general circulation but direct Covid-19 healthcare pressures and transmission are declining or stable”.
A statement confirming the downgrade on the DHSC website said: "Hospitals and the wider health systems remain extremely busy overall but the summer BA.4 and BA.5 wave is subsiding and direct COVID severe illness is now a much smaller proportion of this.
"Severe COVID cases, direct COVID healthcare pressures, direct COVID deaths and ONS community positivity estimates have decreased.
"COVID remains present in the community and we may see an increase in cases with BA 4.6 and BA.2.75 circulating but do not expect this to lead to an immediate increase in hospital pressures. This will continue to be kept under review. Further COVID surges are likely so please be prepared by getting a vaccination when it is offered."
Meanwhile, the UK Covid-19 Inquiry has opened its investigation into the decisions made by Boris Johnson’s Government during the pandemic.
There will be a particular focus initially on early 2020 until the first lockdown was imposed in late March.
The inquiry will then look at decisions taken throughout 2020 until February 2022 It will also examine the actions of the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The inquiry has set a date for a preliminary hearing later this autumn and has committed to hearing evidence from witnesses next summer.
Inquiry chairwoman Baroness Hallett said: “My team and I will establish what was understood about Covid-19 at the time, what information was available in each of the four UK nations and how and why key decisions were made, especially early in the pandemic.
“I will be taking evidence next year to build a full picture of the challenges faced by the Government and how it chose to confront them.”
The formal process of allowing interested parties to become a core participant for module two of the inquiry – the part covering the Government’s decision-making – has opened and will close on September 23.
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