Coronavirus continues to spread at a low enough rate in Hertfordshire to prevent a second wave of the virus in the county, research suggests.

The R Rate in Hertfordshire is estimated to be around 0.69, as the Government is aiming to keep the number of people an infected person will pass Covid-19 on to, below one.

In Hertfordshire, research suggests the number has not been above one since the start of May and gradually dropped over the first few days of the month.

The highest the number has been in the county was 2.40 on March 24.

Posting the findings to crowd-sharing research platform Deckzero, the researchers said: “This approximated value is not the instantaneous reproduction number.

“However, it does bear the same unit and trending as [the instantaneous reproduction number] and thus may offer a glimpse into how might have changed during the last 14-day period.

“When cases are small, R will fluctuate more; this should not be treated as noise as the infection grows exponentially is undisrupted.”

How many confirmed cases in my area?

As of today (June 1), there are 2,889 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Hertfordshire, the seventh highest local authority in the UK.

• Watford – 399

• Hertsmere – 390

• Dacorum - 359

• Three Rivers - 258

In comparison, Birmingham has the highest total cases in a lower-tier local authority, with 3,237 cases.

The authority with most confirmed cases near Hertfordshire is Brent in north west London, with 1,471 confirmed cases.

How many coronavirus deaths today?

In the NHS England update today, there were a further 108 coronavirus deaths recorded, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 26,722.

None of which were from the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust, with the current death toll at the trust remaining at 349.

The last confirmed deaths at the trust were two deaths on May 25. But some deaths between May 27 and May 31 might appear later in future updates as the data is likely to change.

In England, the deaths recorded today involved patients between 29 and 99 years old.

NHS England say 16 of the 108 patients – aged between 48 and 94 – had no known underlying health conditions.