ICMR Finds R0 Of Covid-19
A Covid-19 patient can infect 406 people in 30 days if preventive measures like social distancing and lockdown are not implemented, said Union Health Ministry on Tuesday based on an ICMR study.
Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Lav Agarwal said the possibility of infection can be reduced to an average of two and a half persons per patient in a month if preventive measures are implemented the right way.
The current ‘R0’ or ‘R naught’ for the COVID-19 infection is somewhere between 1.5 and 4 according to the ICMR study, Agarwal added. ‘R0’ is a mathematical term that indicates how contagious an infectious disease is. It reflects the average number of people an infected person can spread the disease to.
‘R0’ to be 2.5 means one sick person can infect 406 people in one month if no preventive measures are implemented, but if social exposure is reduced to 75%, one positive person can infect 2.5 more persons. That is why the 21-day lockdown in India is crucial.
Agarwal said, adopting to social distancing and following the lockdown order is a very important intervention in terms of Covid-19 management. He requested everyone to follow
social distancing as it acts as a social vaccine against Covid-19.While responding to the queries regarding the extension of lockdown in India, Agarwal said the decisions will be informed, and requested people to refrain from speculations.
The death toll in the country has risen to 178 and the number of infected is nearing to 6000. 605 new cases have been confirmed on Wednesday. 506 have been cured and discharged. The R0 of Covid-19 is currently 2.5.
The hospitals and facilities are classified into three categories to manage Covid-19 patients.
The severe and critical Covid-19 cases will be treated in dedicated Covid hospitals and clinically moderate levels of serious patients will be kept at Dedicated Covid Health Centres which could be a dedicated block in the hospital or a whole hospital. The mild and suspected cases will be kept at Dedicated Covid Care Centres which can be private or government facilities like schools, hostels, stadiums, hotels among others.
Dedicated Covid hospitals will have beds with oxygen support, ventilators, and fully equipped ICU facilities. Cluster containment strategies, action plans for outbreaks, and other containment measures are bringing good results in areas like Gautam Budh Nagar, Bhilwara, Agra, Mumbai, East Delhi, and Pathanamthitta (Kerala). Other coronavirus affected districts are also adopting these strategies.
The Health Ministry is in close coordination with the Ministry of Pharmaceuticals, and they are taking care of the national requirement of hydroxychloroquine. The country has a sufficient quantity of drugs for the management of Covid-19, said Agarwal.
2,500 coaches of Indian Railways has been converted to 40,000 isolation beds and is progressing at 133 locations in the country, he added.
Editor’s Note; ICMR Finds R0 Of Covid-19, Covid Positive Infects 406 People In 30 days