The Northern Ireland government have said on Thursday that the coronavirus R rate could be as high as 1.8, this is the measure of how quickly the virus spreads.
Health officials said the R rate rose from between 0.5 to 1 last week, to between 0.8 to 1.8, which is represents how many people will infect others.
Once the virus is raised above 1, coronavirus cases will soar. Scientists have urged caution as the number will move with severe “volatility” and will most likely be “influenced by small clusters.”
The government said that the “community transmission” does remain low.
Adding, “Although it is important to note that the number of positive tests per day has increased threefold from early July.”
Clusters have been forming in places of work, retail, hospitality and domestic settings, and the Public Health Agency (PHA) there has been over 20 cluster, and 168 cases have been linked.
PHA said that the transmission risk is much higher in households.
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