LONDON, Aug 21, 2020, SPA -- The reproduction "R" number of COVID-19 infections in the United Kingdom has risen and may now be above 1, the Government Office for Science said on Friday, indicating a risk that the overall epidemic is growing, according to Reuters. The UK R number is between 0.9 and 1.1, the government said, up from 0.8-1.0 last week. The daily growth rate for the UK as a whole is between -3% and 1%, up from -4% to -1%. The R number represents the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus on to. --SPA 16:23 LOCAL TIME 13:23 GMT 0005 www.spa.gov.sa/w1395486