he coronavirus reproduction number, or R value, in England remains unchanged from last week and is between 1.2 and 1.4, according to the latest Government figures.
R represents the average number of people each Covid-19 positive person goes on to infect.
When the figure is above 1, an outbreak can grow exponentially but when it is below 1, it means the epidemic is shrinking.
An R number between 1.2 and 1.4 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 12 and 14 other people.
According to new figures, cases of the Delta variant of Covid-19 first identified in India have risen 46 per cent in a week across the UK.
Public Health England (PHE) said there had been 35,204 more cases since last week to reach a total of 111,157.
Some 42 of these cases are the Delta AY.1 sub lineage.
India’s health ministry has said studies show that this so-called Delta plus variant spreads more easily, binds more easily to lung cells and is potentially resistant to monoclonal antibody therapy, which can help neutralise the virus.
But while the Delta variant now accounts for…
