R-value drops below 1 across India, except in major cities
R-value, which reflects how rapidly the coronavirus pandemic is spreading, dropped to 0.92 by mid-September after spiraling over 1 by August-end, according to researchers. However, the R-values of major cities-- Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, and Bengaluru, are over 1. The R-values of Delhi and Pune are below 1. The R-values of Maharashtra and Kerala are also below 1, giving much-needed relief to the states.
R-values in different time periods since August
The R-value was 1.17 by the end of August. It declined to 1.11 between September 4-7 and since then it has remained under 1. R-value between September 11 and September 15 was 0.86, and R-value between September 14 to September 19 was 0.92. According to the data, the R-value of Mumbai stands at 1.09, Chennai 1.11, Kolkata 1.04, Bengaluru 1.06.
India's R has continued to be less than 1: Expert
"The good news is that India's R has continued to be less than 1, as is that of Kerala and Maharashtra, the two states having the highest number of active cases," said Sitabhra Sinha of the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai.
R-value started to decline after second wave of COVID-19
The Reproduction number (R) refers to how many people an infected person infects on average. After the devastating second wave that saw hospitals and health infrastructure being overwhelmed by the patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, the R-value started to decline. From March to May, when thousands of people died due to the infection and lakhs were infected, the R-value stood at 1.37.
R-values between May and July
The Hindustan Times had earlier reported that R-value between May 15 to June 26 was 0.78. Notably, R-value between June 20 and July 7 was 0.88, and from July 3 to July 22 was 0.95, respectively. Between July 24 to July 27 R-value was 0.96.
R-value rose to above 1 toward end of July
However, R-value rose to above 1 for the first time after the second wave between July 27 and July 31. R-value was 1.03 during this period. After this, R-value started to decline in August. The R-value was 0.92 from August 6 to August 9. Between August 12 to August 14 R-value was 0.99, and between August 14 to August 17, it was 0.89.
