The UK's latest R number is estimated to be between 0.6 and 0.9, government figures suggest.
The figure shows the average number of people each person goes on to infect and when below 1 it means the Covid epidemic is shrinking.
The UK saw 7% more deaths than normally expected during 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to receive his first dose of the vaccine later and is keen to reassure the public the AstraZeneca jab is "safe"
A further 101 deaths within 28 days of a positive coronavirus test are recorded in the UK
More than two million people in the UK have now received a second dose of a vaccine.
European countries including Germany, France, Italy and Spain are resuming use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
The positive benefits of the vaccine outweigh risks, the World Health Organization says, with data not suggesting an increase in blood clots.
Hospital visits in Scotland will restart from 26 April, the Scottish health secretary announces.
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