Coronavirus R rate rises in Berkshire and SE as UK moves into 'epidemic range”

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The latest government figures show the coronavirus R rate has risen in Berkshire and the South East.

The Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) says the R number for secondary Covid-19 infections in the South East is now between 0.8 and 1 as of Friday (August 21).


This range shows a rise from the figures released last week, which reported a range of 0.8-0.9.

The South East growth rate has also slightly increased, from between -5 and -1 to -4 and 0.

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Below is a breakdown per region of the R rate and, in brackets, the growth rate. The values are shown as a range, the most likely true values are somewhere towards the middle of this range, the government says.

England: 0.9-1.0 (-3 to 0)

East of England: 0.8-1.0 (-3 to 0)

London: 0.9-1.1 (-2 to +1)

Midlands: 0.8-1.0 (-4 to 0)

North East and Yorkshire: 0.8-1.0 (-4 to 0)

North West: 0.9-1.1 (-2 to +1)

South East: 0.8-1.0 (-4 to 0)

South West: 0.8-1.1 (-1 to +2)

And the UK's R number has also risen above the crucial 1 figure.

The figures show a rise from 0.8 to 1 the previous week, to 0.9 and 1.1.

If the figure rises above 1, the government says it indicates the epidemic is growing.

Other areas in England are also showing increases in both the R and growth rate, the latest figures show.

In London, the R number is between 0.9 and 1.1, up from 0.8 and 1. The growth rate changed from between -5 and -1 to -2 and 1.

The North West and the South West have also seen slight increases in their R rates; from 0.8-1.1 to 0.9-1.1 and from 0.8-1 to 0.1-1.1 respectively.

The Berkshire town of Slough was named an "area of concern" by the government last week, although cases there are now falling.

The latest details on cases in Berkshire showed a rise too.