The crucial coronavirus 'R' number has edged up in England since last week and could now be as high as 1. Government scientists are braced for fresh winter lockdown measures after the rate was confirmed as 0.8 and 1, compared to 0.8 to 0.9 last week.
Official figures show the reproduction number across the UK overall is unchanged at between 0.7 and 0.9. The growth rate of infections per day for the UK is -5% to -2%, while for England it is -4% to -1%.
That means the epidemic is still shrinking, but in England, it is believed to be shrinking more slowly than it was before. The figures are the first weekly update to be published since pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers were allowed to reopen in England on July 4.
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