Covid: Cases in England lowest since September, according to Office for National Statistics survey
New estimates suggest the number of coronavirus cases in England and Wales have dropped with figures levelling off in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Estimated cases in England have dropped to the lowest since September with one in 270 people in private households thought to have had Covid-19 between February 28 and March 6 - the equivalent of 200,600 people.
This is down from the previous week to February 27 which was around one in 220, or 248,100 people and is the lowest figures since the week ending September 24 which stood at one in 470, or 116,600 people.
ITV News Science Editor Tom Clarke on the latest figures
However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said that while the majority of regions in England are showing a decrease, there are early signs of a possible increase in people testing positive in the South East and South West.
Areas of Yorkshire, The Humber and the West Midlands are also not showing a clear decrease.
In Wales, around one in 365 people are estimated to have had Covid-19 between February 28 and March 6 – down from the previous ONS estimate of one in 285 in the previous week.
Figures in Northern Ireland and Scotland have levelled off, the ONS said, with the estimate for Scotland at around one in 320 people, up slightly from one in 335 the previous week.
In Northern Ireland, the ONS estimates around one in 310 people had Covid-19 in the week to March 6, up from one in 325.
The ONS said the percentage of people testing positive with the new UK variant decreased in England and Wales but the trend in Scotland and Ireland is uncertain.
Sarah Crofts, Senior Statistician for the COVID-19 Infection Survey, said it remained a "mixed picture" across the UK.
"Infection levels in England and Wales have continued to decrease in the week ending 6 March but appear to be levelling off in Northern Ireland and Scotland," she said.
"It’s reassuring to see infection levels in the majority of English regions also continuing to decrease, however it’s important for us to remain cautious and closely monitor those regions that are not showing a clear decrease. These are in the south of England, Yorkshire and The Humber and the West Midlands.”
The analysis is based on a survey of infection in private households and excludes those cases in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.
It is based on 675,656 tests gathered from across the UK over the last six weeks.
The survey helps to estimate the number of infections within the community, including all variants, whether individuals are showing symptoms or not.