A lesser number of people in England had COVID-19 at the end of last month, while the reproduction “R” number could have declined to below 1. These developments add to evidence that the epidemic in the country has stopped growing.

The Office for National Statistics stated that 1 in 75 individuals in England were estimated to have had COVID-19 in the week to July 31, declining from 1 in 65 during the previous week. As per Public Health England, the R number in the country was estimated to range between 0.8 and 1.1, showing a steep decline from last week’s number of 1.1 to 1.4. 

An R number below 1 indicates that the pandemic is declining. However, a number above 1 suggests exponential growth… (ET Healthworld – Reuters, August 7, 2021)