YORK'S Covid-19 rate has dropped - as the country experiences a further fall in coronavirus infections.

The latest rolling seven day rate in the City of York Council area in the week to July 20 was 444.4 cases per 100,000 people, according to Public Health England.

That is down from 507.6 cases per 100,000 population just a few days ago and it compares with a UK average of 490.5 and an average for the whole of England of 532.1

The UK recorded 29,173 new cases today - down from 48,161 a week ago on July 18.

The number of new infections by date reported has fallen for five days in a row for the first time since February and this is the first time since the start of the pandemic that a sustained drop in cases has not coincided with a national lockdown.

However, any impact from last Monday's ending of restrictions, for example on admissions to nightclubs,will not yet show through in the data.

Meanwhile, the area which was York's Covid hotspot of the end of last week - Dunnington, Elvington & Wheldrake - has seen a rapid drop in its rate from almost 1,000 per 100,000 people then to 540.2 today.