Covid: R number could be as high as 1.5 across country
ITV News Science Editor Tom Clarke has more on the latest figures
The R number in the UK could be as high as 1.5, while in the East of England and the South West, it could be as high 1.6.
On Friday, the government said the latest R number range for the UK is between 1.2 and 1.5.
This is down slightly on last week when it was between 1.3 and 1.6.
This means that on average, every 10 people infected with coronavirus will infect between 12 and 15 other people.
The government's data shows that in the East of England and the South West, the R number could be as high 1.6. This means in these regions, the virus could be progressing faster than in the rest of the UK.
Meanwhile, data from the Office of National Statistics found that currently, the highest rates of coronavirus are in north-east England, north-west England, and Yorkshire and the Humber. These regions have all seen steep increases in recent weeks.
The figures come as the government is poised to announce further local restrictions in England.
Many cities across the UK with the highest number of Covid-19 cases were areas that are typically popular with students.
Thousands of students have been forced to self-isolate at dozens of universities following outbreaks.
The latest growth rate for the UK is +4% to +9%, which means the number of new infections is growing by 4% to 9% every day.
Sage said it was “almost certain that the epidemic continues to grow exponentially across the country, and is confident that the transmission is not slowing.
“While the R value remains above 1.0, infections will continue to grow at an exponential rate.
“This is currently the case for every region of England and all have positive growth rates, reflecting increases in the number of new infections across the country.”