By Muhammad Mussa
LONDON (AA) - The R value of the coronavirus across the UK has decreased to 0.6-0.9, the lowest range recorded since the government first began publishing figures in May last year.
The latest infection rate has also dropped to -6% to -3%. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), however, has warned that the prevalence of the virus still remains high and has advised the public to continue observing government guidelines on restrictions.
“A growth rate of between -6% and -3% means that the number of new infections is shrinking by between 3% and 6% every day,” Sage said in a statement.
The R number is a mechanism used to rate the virus’s ability to spread, with R being the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to.
On Friday, 12,027 new cases were reported, a 20.3% weekly drop.
Also, 533 new deaths were recorded, a 27.7% weekly fall.
More than 16.87 million people have been administered their first dose of the vaccine. Vaccines are currently administered in two doses 21 days apart.