NEW DELHI: An ICMR study has found that a COVID-19 patient can infect 406 people in 30 days if preventive measures such as lockdown and social distancing are not implemented, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.
With preventive measures in place, the possibility of the infection can be reduced to an average of just two-and-a-half persons per patient in the same period, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health Lav Agarwal said.
It’s time to mask up and stay safe: Join TOI’s #MaskIndia campaign
Citing the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) study, Agarwal said that the current ‘R0’ or R naught for the coronavirus infection is somewhere between 1.5 and 4.
‘R0’ is a mathematical term that indicates how contagious an infectious disease is