Covid: R value on the rise in England, figures show
The coronavirus R value in England may now be above 1, according to the latest Government figures.
Data released on Friday by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) puts the R value between 1.0 and 1.1, from between 0.9 and 1.1 last week.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.
When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking.
An R number between 1.0 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 10 and 11 other people.
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