Coronavirus UK Live: R rate remains above 1

The reproduction number, or R value, of coronavirus transmission across the UK still remains above 1.

Data released on Friday by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) shows the estimate for R for the whole of the UK is between 1.2 and 1.4.

Last week, the R number was between 1.3 and 1.5.

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.

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.