What is the reproduction number for COVID-19?

The reproduction number, also known as the R number or R₀ (R-zero), for COVID-19 refers to the average number of people that one infected person will further infect in a fully susceptible population.

This number varies depending on several factors such as social distancing measures, use of face masks, vaccination rates, and the contagiousness of variants of the virus. In the early stages of the pandemic, the basic reproduction number (R₀) of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus was estimated to be between 2 and 3.

The reproduction number for COVID-19 is variable and depends on several factors such as government measures, population compliance, and the specific variant of the virus. While the basic reproduction number of the original strain was between 2 and 3, new variants have higher R numbers, posing additional challenges to controlling the pandemic.

Source: https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/coronavirus-disease-covid-19-how-is-it-transmitted

Author: Prof. Dr. Dirk Devroey - Latest update: 2021-12-09 - Copyright: Clinifacts 2024