The number of daily Covid cases recorded in the UK has fallen to its lowest level in more than four months.

The government said as of 9am on Tuesday there had been a further 8,489 lab-confirmed cases in the UK. The last time it was lower was on October 2, when 6,968 infections were recorded.

It’s the latest sign that a combination of a third national lockdown and the successful vaccination roll-out appear to be curbing the spread of the disease.

Last week, Imperial College London’s influential React study showed that infections in England declined markedly from January into February, and the last time the prevalence rate was as low was around late September.

The total number of Covid-19 cases in the UK has now reached 4,134,639.

The government also said on Tuesday that a further 548 people had died within 28 days of testing positive for Covid-19, bringing the UK total to 121,305.

Separate figures published by the UK’s statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occurred in recent days, show there have now been 141,000 deaths involving Covid-19 in the UK.

On Monday, Boris Johnson announced his gradual, four-step reopening plan and is targeting June 21 as the earliest date on which the vast majority of coronavirus restrictions in England can be lifted.