UK R rate dips to 1.2-1.4, estimated growth rate slows

Reuters
·1 min read
Pedestrians walk near public health signs, whilst the reproduction "R" number of COVID-19 infections in the United Kingdom has risen and may be above 1, London, Britain

LONDON (Reuters) - The reproduction "R" number of the COVID-19 epidemic in Britain has fallen slightly and there might have been a slowdown in the daily growth rate, government scientists said on Friday, implying the spread of infections could be levelling off.

The estimated R number was 1.2-1.4, down from 1.3-1.5 last week, meaning that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 14 other people.

The number of new infections is growing by 3% to 6% every day, the Government Office for science said, down from an estimated daily growth rate of between 4% and 7% last week.

(Reporting by Alistair Smout; editing by Kate Holton)