The 'R' number in the UK is as high as 1.6, the government's scientific advisors declared today as they warned it is "highly likely" coronavirus is still growing exponentially.
The Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) said R is estimated to be between 1.3 and 1.6, up from a range of 1.2 to 1.5 last week.
And the spread of the disease is thought to be growing by between 5% and 9% each day. The R number reflects the situation up to three weeks ago because it uses a number of different models to calculate how the virus is spreading.
And separate infection data today gave the first signs that the rapid rise in new cases in early September may be slowing down.