The coronavirus R rate in England has risen slightly to 0.9-1.1 amid fears sparked by the spread of the Indian variant. The national rate last week had climbed slightly to between 0.8 and 1.1, with identical rates in three regions (East, North West and South West), according to the Government estimates.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect. The latest figures from government advisory body SAGE mean that on average every 10 people infected with Covid-19 will go on to infect between 9 and 11 others.
They also suggest that the number of new cases is fairly flat - dropping by up to 2% each day or increasing by a maximum of 1%.