Prof Stephen Powis said a drop in the use of hospital beds in areas including London and the Midlands is a sign that social distancing measures are making a difference. He said the vast majority of the public have been compliant with the Covid-19 lockdown but urged Britons to ‘keep it that way’ as the country tries to find a way through the health crisis.

Speaking at today’s Downing Street press conference, Prof Powis said: ‘You can see that there is increasing evidence now that the number of hospital admissions is stabilising and plateauing. This is evidence that is accumulating and showing the benefits of social distancing. ‘The number of deaths in the UK is continuing to rise, this is the number that will reduce last unfortunately.

But those benefits form social distancing will eventually translate into a reduction of the number of daily deaths.

‘We are beginning to see the benefits of the undoubted hardship that we’ve all been asked of socially distancing and not meeting friends and family, but it is really important that those benefits are maintained and that we continue to follow instructions and get on top of this virus.’

Prof Powis pointed out that not everyone showing symptoms is being tested so the data does not show a ‘complete reflection’, but the latest figures do look promising.