Nottinghamshire's coronavirus reproduction rate has surged as the county enters the early stages of a third wave.
The R rate, or reproduction rate, is the average number of secondary infections caused by a single infected person.
Nottinghamshire County Council's public health officials now say the rate could be higher than the England average, which could be as high as 1.44.
In the county, the rate is estimated to be between 1 and 1.5, as of Friday, June 18.
Just two weeks ago it was believed the rate was between 0.7 and 1.1, meaning the virus is now spreading more rapidly among the population.
It comes as the final step in the easing of lockdown measures was delayed until July 19 amid rising cases, and health officials in Nottinghamshire now believe the county is at the "early stages" of its third wave.
A growth rate of 1 to 1.5 means every 10 people infected will pass the virus on to anywhere between 10 to 15 other people.
A rate below one means the infection is not readily spreading.
There is now a big push to get more people vaccinated and centres have now opened their doors to those aged 18 and over.
