Covid-19 is spreading increasingly quickly through England as the country's 'R' number rises.
R, a figure which signifies how many other people a coronavirus patient is likely to infect, has risen to between 1.2 and 1.4, The Mirror reports.
The 1.2 to 1.4 figure means that, on average, for every 10 people with Covid another 12 to 14 people will become infected.
It's a rise on last week's value, of 1.0 to 1.2.
The picture is slightly more positive in the North East and Yorkshire, which now has a regional R rate of 1.0 to 1.2 - currently the lowest R number in the country.
Any number below 1 means rates are shrinking, while anything over 1 means the number of those infected with the virus is growing.
Meanwhile, the daily growth rate of infections was estimated between 3% and 6%, up from 0% to 3% last week. A growth rate of between 3% and 6% means that the number of new infections is growing by between 3% and 6% every day. The growth rate for the North East and Yorkshire is 0% to 4%.
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It's worth noting, however, that these estimates represent the transmission of Covid two or three weeks ago, due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare.
The spread of the Delta variant is thought to be behind the rise, with the new variant now responsible for more than 90% of cases in England.
The news comes Brits wait for the Prime Minister to reveal whether the June 21 reopening date can go ahead. Boris Johnson has previously indicated he hopes to stick to the earliest-possible restrictions end date, as set out in his lockdown roadmap.
But a surge in cases and continued fears over the Delta variant, first identified in India, has put the unlocking in jeopardy.
It has been reported that a 'mix and match' approach could be taken, with some restrictions lifted but others remaining.
