Sir Patrick Vallance speaks at daily coronavirus briefing

The video discusses the R number, which indicates the average number of people one infected person will pass a virus to. An R of three means rapid epidemic growth, while an R of one indicates a stable situation. The UK's current R is between 0.7 and 1, suggesting a declining epidemic. Key numbers to monitor include the R and total infections. The Office for National Statistics survey shows 0.25% of the population is infected, equating to about 137,000 people, with 61,000 new infections weekly. Lowering these numbers is crucial for easing restrictions and implementing test, trace, and contain systems.

What are the two important numbers to concentrate on as the epidemic becomes smaller?

What is the estimated number of new infections per week as mentioned in the text?