Evidence before this study
- Following the first recorded cases of SARS-CoV-2 on the
29th January in the United Kingdom (UK), the
COVID-19 pandemic has taken a rapidly developing course culminating in
a comprehensive population-wide lockdown on the 23rdMarch, 2020.
- The toll on health and lives has been significant in the UK and
elsewhere in the world.
- The ongoing rate of infection is determined to a large extent by the
R-value of an infectious disease. The R-value is the number of people
infected by one infected person during their infectious phase.