Covid-19: England's R number falls sharply to between 0.8 and 1.1
6 August 2021, 15:53 | Updated: 6 August 2021, 16:09
The rate at which coronavirus infection is falling in the UK - measured by the R number - has fallen significantly.
Official figures appear to show that the spread of coronavirus is slowing down in England, with Public Health England estimating that the R number is now been 0.8 and 1.1.
That means on average, every 10 people who have the virus will go on to infect between 8 and 11 others.
This is significantly down on last week, where the R number was believed to be between 1.1 and 1.4.
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The R number is a way of rating coronavirus or any disease's ability to spread.
Read more: Covid case rates dropped at end of July after England's 'Freedom Day' reopening
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R is the number of people that one infected person will pass on a virus to, on average.
The positive data comes as the proportion of people in England who tested positive for Covid has fallen.
The latest estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show about one in 75 people in England's private households had Covid in the week to July 31.
That is down from one in 65 the week before - despite England's Freedom Day unlocking on July 19.
