UK’s coronavirus reproduction number unchanged at between 0.6 and 0.9

LONDON, Feb. 26 (Xinhua) — Britain’s coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, remains unchanged at between 0.6 and 0.9, the British government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) announced Friday.

The figures mean that on average, every 10 people infected with coronavirus will infect between six and nine others. If the R number is above one, it means the coronavirus outbreak is growing exponentially.

According to SAGE, the infection growth rate is estimated to be between minus 6 percent to minus 2 percent, which means the number of new infections is shrinking by between 2 percent and 6 percent every day.

The R number varies across regions in England, with the R rate standing between 0.6 to 0.8 in London, the east of England, and the South West.

The number stands between 0.7 to 0.9 for the other English regions, including the Midlands and the North East and Yorkshire.

England is currently under the third national lockdown since outbreak of the pandemic in the country. Similar restriction measures are also in place in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

To bring life back to normal, countries such as Britain, China, Germany, Russia and the United States have been racing against time to roll out coronavirus vaccines. Enditem