The number of people in the UK infected with coronavirus is falling, says the Office for National Statistics (ONS)
The number of people in the UK infected with coronavirus is falling, says the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
About 4.4 million people had the virus in their body in the week up to 9 April, down from nearly 4.9 million the week before.
That's about one in 15 people testing positive for the virus.
The study, which uses its own testing, gives the clearest indication of the virus's spread since free testing ended in England.
It tests thousands of people at random - whether or not they have symptoms - to estimate how much virus there is in the country.
The number infected still remains very high, despite the 10% drop recorded by the ONS.
The BA.2 form of the Omicron variant helped push up the number infected with the virus to record levels in recent weeks, and is only now starting to decline.
Sarah Crofts, from the ONS, said: "Across most parts of the UK, infections have thankfully begun to decrease.
"It is too early to say if we have passed the peak of infections, and infections overall remain high."