England’s Covid R rate has fallen slightly, according to the latest government figures.
The UK Health Security Agency said on Friday the reproduction number is between 0.9 and 1.1.
Last week it was estimated to between 1.0 and 1.1.
If R is greater than 1 the epidemic is generally seen to be growing; if R is less than 1 the epidemic is shrinking.
An R number between 0.9 and 1.1 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 9 and 11 other people.
Here’s what the R rate is in each region of England:
East of England – 0.9 to 1.2 (up from 1.0 to 1.1)
London – 0.8 to 1.1 (down from 0.9 to 1.1)
Midlands – 0.9 to 1.1 (unchanged)
North-east and Yorkshire – 0.9 to 1.1 (up from 0.9 to 1.0)
North-west – 0.9 to 1.1 (unchanged)
South-east – 1.0 to 1.2 (up from 0.9 to 1.2)
South west – 1.0 to 1.4 (up from 1.0 to 1.2)
Meanwhile, the latest level of coronavirus infection – a snapshot of how many people are likely to test positive for the virus – remains high across the UK.
The level of infection in Scotland is at its highest since estimates began last autumn, with around one in 75 people thought to have Covid-19 last week.
The figure, from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), has risen sharply from one in 140 in the previous week.
Schools in Scotland returned a fortnight ago and the reopening is believed to have contributed to a rise in cases in the country.
Around one in 70 people in private households in England had Covid-19 in the week to August 27, unchanged from the previous week and the equivalent of about 766,100 people.
At the peak of the second wave in early January, around one in 50 people in England were estimated to have coronavirus.
In Wales, the figure for the week to August 28 was around one in 110.
This is up from one in 120 in the previous week and the highest level since the week to February 6.
In Northern Ireland, the latest estimate is one in 65, down from one in 40 in the previous week.
Scotland’s level is the highest since estimates began for the nation in October last year.
Experts have warned the Government it is “highly likely” there will be large levels of coronavirus infection in schools by the end of September.