R-rate goes up slightly across the UK

The R value is now between 0.6 and 0.9, figures show

The R number in the United Kingdom has increased slightly to between 0.6 and 0.9, according to official government statistics. This means that, on average, every 10 people with Covid-19 will go on to infect between six and nine other people. https://twitter.com/DHSCgovuk/status/1372906479309688843 This comes after the number of Brits with Covid-19 continues to fall steadily in England, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). This week's R number has increased minimally since the R value last week, which was estimated to be between 0.6 and 0.8, according to scientists. The small rise in R value comes as schools and colleges reopened their doors to students, as part of the Prime Minister's step-by-step plans to open up society. According to the latest government figures, the infection rate is now 59.1 per 100 thousand. Approximately 1 in 340 people in private homes in England had coronavirus in the week to 13 March, according to estimated figures. Daily case numbers have also dropped slightly to around 5,500 cases per day, however there are still 7,701 patients in hospital with coronavirus, of which 1,087 are on ventilators, according to the latest government data. The figures are published as one think-tank report has claimed that the delay to England’s latest national lockdown caused up to 27,000 further Covid deaths. 'Delaying the start of the latest lockdown until January despite evidence of fast rising cases, is estimated to have led to up to an extra 27,000 Covid-related deaths compared to the situation in which restrictions were put in place quickly enough to prevent the death rate rising,' a tweet from the  Resolution Foundation said.