GOOGLE is using location data gathered from phones to help public health officials understand how people’s movements have changed in response to the global coronavirus pandemic.

The reports use data from people who have opted in to storing their location history with Google to help illustrate the degree to which people are adhering to government instructions.

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The Covid-19 Community Mobility Report dated December 4 looks at data between Friday, October 23, and Friday, December 4, 2020.

The figures show there has been an increase in the number of people visiting parks (a five per cent rise compared to the baseline).

There has also been a rise in the number of people visiting residential areas (a 17 per cent increase compared to the baseline).

Fewer people are visiting retail and recreation which has seen a drop of 31 per cent.

Public transport has also seen a drop in use with a 55 per cent decrease compared to the baseline.

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Fewer people are visiting work places too (a 40 per cent decrease compared to the baseline).

The UK began rolling out a Covid-19 vaccine this week after it was approved by safety regulators.

Grandmother Margaret Keenan, 90, became the first person in the world to receive the long-awaited jab on December 8, as part of the largest immunisation programme in the UK's history.

The British government has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which is produced by the companies Pfizer and BioNTech, and up to four million are due to arrive in the country this month.