Infections fall but the R number creeps up
THE Covid-19 reproduction R number for the UK increased slightly yesterday but a study showed infections had fallen by a fifth in a week.
The Office for National Statistics infection survey estimated that 160,200 people in private households in England had the virus in the week to March 13.
This was down 20 per cent from 200,600 people the previous week.
The figures, based on random swab testing, suggest around one in 340 people was infected in the most recent period.
Meanwhile, Government scientists raised the R number estimate to 0.6-0.9, up from 0.6-0.8 last week.
The crucial figure represents how many people each infected person passes the virus to. If it is below one, the epidemic is in decline. The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) estimated the outbreak was shrinking by between six and three per cent each day.
Despite the strong progress, the Independent Sage group of scientists, which is separate to the Government’s advisory body, warned against complacency and overreliance on vaccines.
It called for better local support to tackle higher transmission rates in deprived areas with lower vaccination rates, and for a public inquiry to ensure lessons are learnt.
The committee’s chairman Sir David King said: “While we are all now more hopeful about an end to the pandemic, we are not out of it yet.
“We must learn from what has been done to date – particularly from our mistakes – to ensure that we don’t repeat them.”