THE Department of Health has estimated that the current R-number for Coronavirus in the North of Ireland is now “likely to be” more than one.
The R-number, or reproduction number, is the average number of people that one Coronavirus-infected person will pass the virus on to.
The current weekly estimate of R is 0.8 to 1.8.
Chief Scientific Adviser Prof Ian Young said that the most recent data “underlines the need for continued vigilance” in Northern Ireland.
But the department said that as community transmission is low in NI, the R-number is “heavily influenced by small local clusters” and is no longer the most important figure for policy decisions.
It said that because the number of positive tests had increased three fold in the last month, this number is “likely to be a more important parameter”.
Health chiefs continue to urge the public to maintain a social distance of two metres as much as possible and to wash hands regularly and as much as possible to prevent the spread of the deadly COVID-19 virus.
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