England's coronavirus R rate has climbed sightly above one amid fears sparked by the spread of the Indian variant. The national rate is between 0.8 and 1.1, with identical rates in three regions (East, North West and South West), according to the latest Government estimates.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect. An R number between between 0.8 and 1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 8 and 10 other people.
When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially, but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking. The figures for R and the growth rate are provided by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). Have you tested
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