Covid infection rate remains same in England despite vaccination progress
The coronavirus reproduction number in England remains unchanged from last week and is between 0.8 and 1, according to the latest government figures.
The R value represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.
An R number between 0.8 and 1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between eight and 10 other people.
The figures for R and the growth rate are provided by the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage).
The growth rate, which estimates how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day, is between -4% and zero for England.
It means the number of new infections is broadly flat or shrinking by up to 4% every day.
R Value for English regions
East of England: 0.7 to 1.0
London: 0.8 to 1.0
Midlands: 0.7 to 1.0
North East and Yorkshire: 0.8 to 1.0
North West: 0.8 to 1.0
South East: 0.7 to 0.9
South West: 0.7 to 1.0
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Sage has said that the increasingly localised approach to managing the epidemic between nations means UK-level estimates are now less meaningful and may not accurately reflect the current picture.
The news comes alongside the announcement that a total of 32,270,892 Covid-19 vaccinations took place in England between December 8 and April 8, according to NHS England data, including first and second doses, which is a rise of 458,751 on the previous day.
The Office for National Statistics have released figures that show about one in 340 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to April 3 – broadly unchanged on the previous week.
It is the lowest figure since the week to September 24, when the estimate stood at one in 470.
In Wales, about one in 800 people were estimated to have had Covid-19 in the week to April 3 – down from one in 570 for the week to March 27.
The estimate for Scotland is one in 410, down from one in 320, and for Northern Ireland it is one in 300, down from one in 220.