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The UK’s breeding number has dropped slightly to a high of 1.1 from a high of 1.2, according to the new figures.
The number has been confirmed by the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), which advises the government on its response to the pandemic.
Scientists have estimated that the breeding number, known as the R number, is now between 1.0 and 1.1.
R represents the average number of people each COVID-19 the positive person goes on to infect.
This means that, on average, every 10 people with coronavirus will infect between 10 and 11 more.
The replay number was between 1.0 and 1.2 last week.
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The R number is one of many indicators that scientists use to determine how fast COVID-19 it is spreading.
A breakdown of R numbers in England
England: 1.0 – 1.1
East of England: 1.0 – 1.3
London: 1.0 – 1.2
Midlands: 1.0 – 1.2
Northeast and Yorkshire: 1.0 – 1.1
Northwest: 0.8 – 1.0
Southeast: 1.1 – 1.3
Southwest: 1.0 – 1.3
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UK ‘weeks away’ from vaccine launch
When the number is greater than 1, a sprout can grow exponentially.
The growth rate, which estimates how quickly the number of infections changes from day to day, is between 0% and 2% for the UK as a whole.
It means that the number of new infections increases between 0% and 2% every day.
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Estimates of R and growth rates are shown as a range, and actual values are likely to be within this range, according to experts.
SAGE also said that the figures released on Friday more accurately represent the average situation of recent weeks rather than the current situation.
The latest R number and growth rate have been revealed when the health secretary told Sky News that he hopes a mass vaccination program it will be launched “in a matter of weeks”.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said that the number of coronavirus infections in England appears to have “level“in recent weeks.
