England’s coronavirus ‘R’ number rises to 0.8 to 1.0 range
The reproduction rate of coronavirus infections in England has risen to 0.8 to 1.0, slightly higher than the rest of the UK.
For the UK as a whole, the so-called R number remains at 0.7 to 0.9.
Used by the government to inform decisions on easing lockdown, the R number represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to. An R number above 1.0 can lead very rapidly to exponential growth.
The south west of England remains the worst affected region with an R number of 0.8 to 1.1.
The news follows a rise in the number of deaths in the UK from coronavirus, increasing by 202 today.
A total of 292,950 people have tested positive so far. As of 5pm yesterday, of those who had tested positive for coronavirus, 41,481 people have died.
Meanwhile the number of people testing positive for coronavirus is continuing to fall. Around one in 1,700 people tested positive between 25 May and 7 June, compared to one in 1,000 before then.
It comes as the government prepares to allow non-essential shops to reopen on 15 June, with the hospitality industry set to follow on 4 July.
London has been the worst hit part of the UK for deaths, with significantly more deaths per 100,000 people than any other region.
Adjusted for age, nine of the 10 areas with the highest mortality rate in England and Wales were in London.
Brent had the highest rate with 211 deaths per 100,000 people, followed by Newham and Hackney.