LONDON, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Britain's coronavirus reproduction number, also known as the R number, has fallen slightly, but the virus is still spreading fast in the country, the latest official figures showed Friday.

The R number is now between 1.2 and 1.4, down from between 1.3 and 1.5 last week, according to the British government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

The R number is one of many indicators scientists use to determine how fast COVID-19 is spreading in the country.

Reproduction rate means the average number of people each person with coronavirus goes on to infect. Therefore, an R number of between 1.2 and 1.4 means on average every 10 people with the virus will infect between 12 and 14 others.

If the R number is above one, it means the number of cases will increase exponentially.

Meanwhile, the British Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that daily coronavirus cases in England have risen again, with around 1 in 130 people estimated to have had COVID-19 last week.

"The highest COVID-19 infection rates continue to be seen in the North West, Yorkshire and The Humber, and the North East," said the ONS.

Official figures showed Friday that Britain has recorded 224 COVID-19 deaths up from 189 the day before and 20,530 new coronavirus cases down from 21,242 the day before.

The latest figures came as British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday reiterated his stand to avoid a national lockdown in fighting against the COVID-19 pandemic, saying his government will work hard to protect jobs and put the country in a better position for an economic recovery.

To bring life back to normal, countries, such as Britain, China, Russia and the United States, are racing against time to develop coronavirus vaccines. Enditem

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