THE 'R rate' in the South West has remained unchanged and is currently among the highest rates in England. 

The fresh data, which has been released by the Government Office for Science and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE) on Friday, November 13, rates the ability to spread Covid-19 and the number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to, on average.

The 'R rate' for the South West is currently between 1.2 - 1.4, which is higher than the latest R number range for the UK of 1.0 - 1.2.

The current growth rate in Dorset is set at +4 to +7, meaning that new infections are growing between four per cent to seven per cent every day.

Last week, the South West had an R rate of 1.2 - 1.4, with a growth rate between three to seven per cent.

The R rate for the South West remains the highest across England along with the South East, which has an R rate of 1.2 - 1.4.

Dorset continues to see a constant big number of Covid-19 cases across the county, with Public Health England reporting more than 400 cases this week. 

These are the latest R estimates by NHS England region: 

Region - R Growth rate - per day

England: 1.0-1.2, +1 to +3

East of England: 1.1-1.4, +2 to +5

London: 1.0-1.2, 0 to +3

Midlands: 1.1-1.3, +2 to +5

North East and Yorkshire: 1.0-1.2, +1 to +3

North West: 0.9-1.1, -1 to +1

South East: 1.2-1.4, +3 to +6

South West: 1.2-1.4  +4 to +7

In a recent update, Public Health Dorset said: "New national restrictions to reduce the spread of COVID-19 have been in place for a week.

"It will take a couple of weeks for us to understand the potential impact of these restrictions on our local situation.

"We need Dorset residents to play their part in bringing cases down. This will put us in the best possible place to return to fewer restrictions after national measures end."