England’s COVID R number stands at between 1.1 and 1.5 – a slightly wider range than last week’s estimate of 1.2 to 1.5.

The latest figure from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) means that for every 10 people infected with coronavirus, they will on average pass the disease to between 11 and 15 other people.

As it remains above 1, it means the epidemic is still growing rather than shrinking.

Latest COVID updates from the UK and around the world

However, the daily growth in infections has fallen slightly – now at +1% to +5%, down from +3% to +6%.

Meanwhile, the weekly Coronavirus Infection Survey, which is collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), shows that the percentage of people testing positive for the virus in the UK has continued to increase.

In the week ending 6 January – the latest figures available – the ONS estimated that 3,735,000 people had COVID-19, or around one in 15 people.

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In Wales, the figure was 169,100 people – or around one in 20; in Northern Ireland, the figure was 99,200 people – or one in 20; and in Scotland in the week ending 7 January, it was 297,400 people – or one in 20.

The Omicron variant has become dominant and has continued to increase across the four nations, while the Delta variant has “fallen to very low levels”, the ONS added.

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