All the results presented above assume a fixed latent period of 1 day. We tested the sensitivity of parameter estimates to this assumption by examining latent periods of 2 and 3 days. Overall, we would expect infectiousness parameters to increase to compensate for the shorter infectious period, and thus slightly increased generation time (namely the mean time from infection of one case and the time of infection of the cases that case generates). Interestingly, however, it is the kernel parameter estimates which are altered as the latent period is varied with the kernel becoming slightly less local with increasing latent period. For two and three days latent period, pre 23 rd February, the values of c dropped from 1.69 (Table 1) 