How coronavirus spreads through a population and how we can beat it
23 Apr, 2020One important characteristic of viruses and other pathogens is how contagious they are. This is measured in a few ways. One key measure is the R0, or basic reproduction number, which indicates how many new cases one infected person generates. For an R0 of three we would expect each new case of a disease to produce three other infections. This is not just a measure of the inherent infectiousness of a disease. It also depends on other factors, including the rate of contact within a population and the duration of the infectious period. It's a situation-dependent value, so in one city the R0 might be higher and in another lower. It also assumes that the entire population is susceptible to the disease.
