Coronavirus cases in England fell by almost a third in two weeks after the current lockdown was introduced. That’s the conclusion of React-1, a highly-respected study by Imperial College London, which swabbed more than 100,000 people between 13 and 24 November. Some of the worst-hit areas in the North saw the biggest improvements, and the R rate fell to 0.88 – here’s a reminder of why that matters so much. Overall, though, cases across the country remain high, with the East and West Midlands the current hotspots. Health Secretary Matt Hancock says we can’t “take our foot off the pedal just yet”.