The coronavirus reproduction rate may have risen above 1 in parts of England, the government’s scientific advisory group (SAGE) has said.
Official figures released by officials indicated the rate – known as the R number – was between 0.8 and 1.0 across the whole of England.
This range is slightly higher than for the entire UK, where it remains between 0.7 and 0.9.
But in the southwest of England, SAGE said it was between 0.8 and 1.1. The group said the most likely estimate was in the middle of the range.
The figure is crucial in guiding the government’s gradual relaxation of lockdown measures.
If the R value is one, each infected person will on average pass COVID-19 on to one other.
If it is above one, it means the number of coronavirus cases will increase exponentially.
However, if the R number is below one, the disease will eventually peter out as not enough new people are being infected to sustain the outbreak.
