Coronavirus: R number rises in London but remains below 1 for England
The R rate may have risen above 1 for the first time in London, according to new government data published today.
The estimate of the rate of coronavirus infection over the past week has seen increases in several regions including the capital.
The latest government update indicated that the R number in London is between 0.8 and 1.1.
It is now the same as the North West and South West, which have retained the same R number as last week.
The R rate for England has stayed the same, however, at 0.8 to 1.0, while the UK as a whole has risen from 0.8 to 0.9 to move in line with England, following an increase in Covid-19 infections in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Other regions to see slight increases in the R rate are the Midlands and the North East and Yorkshire, while the east of England was the only area to see a drop, falling to 0.7 to 0.9.
The slight overall increase in the R number for the UK comes despite data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), which found that the number of Covid-19 infections had levelled off in the past week.
The ONS estimate that 28,300 people had coronavirus in the community in the week ending August 2, equating to 0.05 per cent of the population.
It was down by around 7,400 people from the week before, although still more than the UK’s lowest levels seen at the end of June.
Around 3,700 new cases were recorded each day in the most recent week across private households in England.
It is a decrease of around 500 per day from the week before, although this figure does not include those recorded in care homes or hospitals.