The all-settings figures - which covers cases in care homes, hospitals and the wider community across the home nations - come as No10's top scientific advisers claimed England's R rate has dipped below one for the first time in three months. Last week's figure was thought to be as high as 1.1. But it is a lagging indicator and reflects the situation the country faced three weeks ago, when Covid cases began to shrink naturally. UKHSA's estimate of the R rate suggested the figure may be as low as 0.8 in every region of the country. Ministers once put the R rate at the heart of their Covid battle plan.

Source: The Nation August 15, 2021 15:33 UTC