The R number, or “reproduction number”, has been a staple of coronavirus data bulletins in the last three years. An R value of greater than 1 indicates that Covid cases are increasing. An R number of 2, for example, means a person with Covid will infect two other people. “Now that vaccines and therapeutics have allowed us to move to a phase where we are living with Covid-19, with surveillance scaled down but still closely monitored through a number of different indicators, the publication of this specific data is no longer necessary,” said UK Health Security Agency Chief Data Scientist Nick Watkins. The R range for England was 1-1.2 as of Friday, the final release of such data. Although Covid cases have been increasing in the last few weeks, they are significantly lower than during a peak in July of around 30,000 cases a day in England alone. “All data publications are kept under constant review and this modelling data can be reintroduced promptly if needed, for example, if a new Variant of Concern was to be identified,” Mr Watkins added. Britain will continue to publish its weekly flu and Covid surveillance report and infection surveys. However, health officials have urged those with signs of respiratory illness should avoid mixing during the festive season, particularly with vulnerable people.
