The UK has recorded a further 303 deaths from Covid and 88,171 new infections, Government data shows.
The number of deaths recorded in the last 24 hours is down from 534 deaths recorded yesterday - the highest amount in 11 months.
This comes as a Whitehall source revealed yesterday that Boris Johnson is considering scrapping daily Covid reporting from April.
Cases today (Thursday, February 3) remain above the 88,085 reported on Wednesday. It's dropped since last Thursday when 96,871 new cases were recorded.
The number of people testing positive in the last seven days is sitting at 619,843.
A total of 1,386 people were admitted to hospital with Covid in the last 24 hours. That figure has reached 11,356 in the last week.
Infection numbers have substantially dropped since peaking around New Year with 245,182 infections reported on January 4.
This week's figures show a sharp rise after reinfections in England and Northern Ireland were included for the first time.
It means a Covid sufferer who has tested positive at least 90 days after a previous infection will now be considered a reinfection, according to the UKHSA.
Previously, people were only counted in the data the first time they tested positive for the virus.
ONS data suggest the numbers have slightly increased recently because of the virus tearing through primary school aged children.
A further 1,789 people died from Covid related deaths in the last seven days which also marks a drop – of 1.4 per cent.
As of 2 February, 52,385,688 Brits have had a first dose of a Covid vaccine while 48,494,414 have had a second dose.
A further 39,037 people had their booster or third dose of the vaccine bringing the current total to 37,419,104.
This comes as Daily Covid stats are reportedly set to be scrapped from April under the Government's plan to live with the virus.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has already shared plans to drop all remaining coronavirus rules, including the legal requirement to self isolate if you test positive for Covid by March 24.
And a senior Whitehall sources has claimed the daily updates on the number of coronavirus cases, hospitalisations, deaths and other data will be scrapped just weeks later in a report leaked to the i.
Free lateral flow tests are not expected to be dropped until July, but those supporting the rumoured move to ditch Covid stats say the Government also need to push for an end to mass testing.
Infectious disease expert at the University of East Anglia, Professor Paul Hunter told the Mail Online we have to cease Covid stats reporting at some point.
He said April was a good time to stop the reporting and Boris Johnson has also apparently set Easter as the last date the stats will appear in their current form, according to the source.
