UK COVID-19 Reproduction Number Falls Below 1 For First Time Since July - SAGE

The reproduction number (R number) of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom has fallen below 1.0 for the first time since July, suggesting that the spread of the disease may be slowing after a month of strict lockdown restrictions, according to data provided by the country's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) on Friday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th February, 2021) The reproduction number (R number) of COVID-19 in the United Kingdom has fallen below 1.0 for the first time since July, suggesting that the spread of the disease may be slowing after a month of strict lockdown restrictions, according to data provided by the country's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) on Friday.

SAGE estimated that the current R range for the UK is 0.7 to 0.9, indicating that every 10 people who contract COVID-19 are expected to infect between seven to nine other people.

Experts also said that the number of COVID-19 infections is falling by between 2 percent and 5 percent each day.

Keeping the R number below 1.0 is believed to be a vital step in managing the spread of COVID-19.

The UK government placed England into its third national lockdown in early January. The devolved governments in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland also brought back tough measures as part of efforts to manage the spread of a new highly infectious COVID-19 variant believed to have originated in southeast England.

On Thursday, 13,494 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the United Kingdom, taking the country's case total to 3.99 million, according to data published by the Department of Health and Social Care.