Officials have issued a relatively optimistic analysis of Britain's fight against the coronavirus.
Westminster's chief scientific officer Sir Patrick Vallance said the number of new cases “could be moving in the right direction” but it would not be clear “for a week or so”.
He told the daily Downing Street press conference: “It’s possible that we’re beginning to see the beginning of change in terms of the curve flattening a little bit.
“We won’t know that for sure for a week or so.
“There hasn’t been the accelerated take-off and again it’s possible that we’re beginning to see the start of a change where we might see numbers flattening off.
“It does begin to suggest that things might be moving in the right direction in terms of numbers and it’s important that we carry on with the measures that we have got in place in order to make sure that this does go in the right direction.”
Sir Patrick said there should not be an overall increase in demand above the number of ICU beds available.
He said: “There are always times in every winter when ICU beds top out in individual hospitals, and that may happen and I can’t guarantee it won’t.
“What we can say, though, is that the numbers as we look at them now look as though we should come in about right, there shouldn’t be an overall increase above the number of beds available.
“The NHS, I think, has done an amazing job in terms of increasing the capacity of ICU and so things seem to be tracking in the right direction, but I don’t think I can say more than that.”
Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is deputising for the Prime Minister as first secretary of state, also updated the nation on Boris Johnson’s condition in hospital.
“He’s receiving the very best care from the excellent medical team at St Thomas’s Hospital. He remained stable overnight,” Mr Raab told the daily Downing Street coronavirus press conference.
“He’s receiving standard oxygen treatment and breathing without any assistance, he’s not required any mechanical ventilation or non-invasive respiratory support.
“He remains in good spirits and in keeping with usual clinical practise his progress continues to be monitored closely in critical care.”
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