Deaths involving coronavirus have plummeted 92% since the peak of the second wave in January, official weekly figures for England and Wales showed in the latest sign of progress against the pandemic.
Some 712 deaths involving Covid-19 happened in the seven days to March 19, according to the Office for National Statistics, down from 8,945 deaths in the week ending January 22 and the lowest level of weekly occurrences since October 9.
Meanwhile, the latest Public Health England (PHE) data showed Covid-19 case rates have dropped across all regions.
The positive indications came as ministers and health experts continued efforts to reassure the public about the safety of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine after regulators pointed to a one in a million chance of dying from a rare blood clot.