UK’s Covid-19 R number falls to four-month low

Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash

According to new figures, the UK’s coronavirus R number has fallen between an estimate of 0.8-1.0 – its lowest levels since August this year.

The R number, also known as the reproduction number, represents the average number of people each person infected with the Covid-19 virus will go on to infect.

The news comes as the UK officially surpasses 60,000 infections, after further 14,879 cases and 414 deaths were reported yesterday. The R number has fallen slightly from its estimated value yesterday of 0.9-1.

The Government’s SAGE advisory group that provides the data indicates that the second wave of the pandemic is beginning to recede across the country, as the number of new infections shrinks between 1% and 3% every day.

This update comes as positive news for Londoners amid a bleak warning of entering Tier 3 lockdown within weeks.

An estimate of R numbers and growth rates across UK regions.

Source: Gov.uk

Words: Ashvin Sivakumar | Subbing: Chloe Rose

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