Another 32 people have died with coronavirus in the UK, while 2,061 people have been infected in the latest 24 hour period.

The figures bring the total number of cases in the past week to 17,233 – down nearly 3% on the previous week. In the same period, there has been 159 deaths, a 11.7% reduction week-on-week.

Hospital admissions have also continued to fall, with 132 people admitted on April 20, the last date for which figures are available. Some 1,113 people have been admitted in the last week, a drop of 301 or 21.3% on the seven days previous.

More than half of the UK’s population have had the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine, while more than 12,000,000 have now had their second.

Experts have said vaccines should be able to control the pandemic as they published new real-world UK data showing that jabs slash infection and are likely to cut transmission.

Just one dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine leads to a two-thirds drop in coronavirus cases and is 74% effective against symptomatic infection.

In Scotland, there were four more coronavirus deaths and 177 new cases recorded in the last 24 hours.

It comes as experts predicted that people should be able to ditch their face masks this summer.

The vaccine roll-out is going so well that most people will be protected against the virus, leading to a relatively normal summer, according to scientists.

But, with another wave likely in the autumn or winter, masks and other measures may need to be brought back later in the year.

Meanwhile, the US has started using the vaccine developed by Johnson and Johnson again after the rollout was paused due to concerns about blood clots.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is recommending states use the vaccine for adults aged 18 and over but with the warning that rare clots can occur.

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