Prognosis
U.K. Says Covid-19 May No Longer Be Spreading Exponentially
- Data shows ‘R’ rate falls to between 0.8 and 1 across U.K.
- Department of Health says cases remain ‘dangerously high’
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The coronavirus pandemic may no longer be spreading exponentially in the U.K., according to government data suggesting the country’s third lockdown is working.
The official estimate of the “R rate” -- which measures how many people each infected person passes the virus on to -- fell to between 0.8 and 1, the results released on Friday showed. When R is above 1 the virus spreads exponentially. Last week, the R rate was estimated to be between 1.2 and 1.3.