The coronavirus R number has risen in England, with the government data stating that it could now be as high as 1. 

The reproduction number, which indicates the rate of new Covid-19 infections, has remained at 0.7-1 across the UK as a whole, but in England it has now risen to 0.8-1. 

England’s rate on Friday, July 3 was 0.8-0.9.

A reproduction (R) number of 1 or above means the number of infections is still spreading exponentially with, on average, every infected person infecting one other person.

A figure of 2 would mean one person infects two other people, and so on, while a figure of 0.5 would mean that if an infected person met with two people, they would only infect one. 

Meanwhile, the latest data published by the government shows that the growth rate range is now -5% to -2% per day in the UK. The growth rate reflects how quickly the number of infections are changing day by day – if the figure is positive it means the epidemic is growing, while a negative number indicates that it is shrinking. 

The new figures show that the South West of England still has both the highest R number and growth rate in England – 0.7-1.1 and -6 to 1 respectively. 

The Midlands has both the lowest R number and growth rate in England, with an R number of 0.7-0.9, in line with the UK-wide average. The growth rate in the region is currently -6 to -2. The Midlands is also the only region in the UK to have a an R number with a top range lower than 1.