Britain has recorded another 66,183 coronavirus cases over the past 24 hours - while the death toll has risen by 314.
The latest figures, released by the Department for Health this afternoon, show a 41% decrease on confirmed infections from this time last week.
Last Tuesday (February 1) saw a total of 112,458 cases recorded.
Deaths, meanwhile, increased from 219 - or 43% - although a reporting backlog last week partly explains why this week's figure on a Tuesday is so much higher.
Case numbers have substantially dropped since peaking around New Year’s - with 245,182 recorded on January 4.
However, the lag between catching Covid and falling ill, and then falling seriously ill and dying, means death rates are spiking now.
The latest available daily hospital admission figures are 1,699, from February 1, which was a 9% decrease over the previous week.
The UK recorded 57,623 cases yesterday - down by 37.6% on last Monday.
Sunday's figure of 54,095 was the lowest daily recorded rate since December 13, which saw 54,661.
It comes as Sajid Javid today unveiled new targets to slash the Covid backlog - with year-long waits for NHS treatment set to continue until 2025.
The Health Secretary laid bare "considerable backlog" in elective care and said an estimated 10 million people stayed away from the NHS in England during the pandemic.
Waiting lists won't begin to fall until March 2024 if just half of those patients seek treatment over the next three years, Mr Javid told MPs.
There are currently 6 million people on waiting lists for treatments such as hip and knee replacements, cataract surgery and tests. This compares to 4.4 million before the pandemic.
More people are waiting longer to get treatment., with 300,000 people have spent more than a year on a waiting list, compared to only 1,600 before Covid hit.
Meanwhile, an NHS health board has been forced to apologise after dozens of over-12s were given out of date Covid vaccines.
NHS Grampian has confirmed that 42 out-of-date Covid vaccinations were administered in Stonehaven's town hall on February 1.
Those who were affected by the botch are now being contacted directly by the health service.
It is believed the doses "are safe and will still protect" but health bosses say "there is a very small possibility of reduced effectiveness".
Following an investigation, NHS Grampian have confirmed that this is an isolated incident and all those affected were over 12.
NOTE - the headline on this story and one paragraph of the article were changed post-publication to more accurately reflect the fact the rise in deaths week-on-week was down to a reporting backlog the previous week
