Just one in 196 people in England are now infected with Covid-19
Cases of coronavirus in England have fallen by two-thirds since January, according to a study from Imperial College London.
Researchers claimed cases of Covid-19 are essentially 'halving' every two weeks, meaning the number of coronavirus cases in England could fall below 1,000 by April.
April has recently been earmarked by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a target for reopening pubs, businesses and other sectors of society.
Scientists believe the findings are proof of the efficacy of lockdown in curtailing the coronavirus.
The REACT study - as researchers term it - conducted random swab-testing across parts of England in order to gauge levels of coronavirus.
Just one in 196 people in England were found to be infected with Covid-19. At the beginning of January, the figure was a less-promising one in 64.
While scientists were quick to state that levels are still high, it is nevertheless an encouraging sign.
The R rate is also around 0.7, the lowest it has been since last summer.
R stands for the average number of people infected by an individual person with coronavirus. For the first time since last summer, the UK's overall R rating has dropped below 1 - currently sitting between 0.7 and 0.9.
According to the government's own website, "an R value between 0.7 and 0.9 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 7 and 9 other people.
"These estimates represent the transmission of Covid-19 over the past few weeks due to the time delay between someone being infected, having symptoms, and needing healthcare."
As Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepares to unveil his much anticipated 'roadmap' out of a third national lockdown, it is expected that pubs will be allowed to serve outdoors from April onwards.
This is roughly the time researchers hope cases will have fallen below 1,000.
Speaking to media during a visit to a vaccination centre in Cwmbran, Johnson said: "We'll be setting out what we can on Monday the 22nd about the way ahead.
"It will be based firmly on a cautious and prudent approach to coming out of lockdown in such a way as to be irreversible."
