The Department of Health said on Tuesday that the reproduction number, or R-rate, which indicates the extent of the spread of Covid-19 is greater than one in eight states. If the R-value is less than one, it means that the number of people newly infected is lower than the number of people infected in the previous period, which means that the incidence of the disease is decreasing.
When the second wave of COVID-19 infection was at its peak, the overall R-value in the country was estimated at 1.37 between March 9 and April 21.
For example, an R-value of 0.95 means that an average of 100 infected people passes the infection on to 95 other people.
The ideal value of the R-value in a pandemic should be less than 1, indicating that the spread of infection is decreasing.
The R-value is more than one and showing an increasing trend in the below eight states.
- Himachal Pradesh – 1.4
- Jammu & Kashmir – 1.4
- Lakshwadeep– 1.3
- Tamil Nadu – 1.2
- Mizoram – 1.2
- Karnataka – 1.2
- Puducherry – 1.1
- Kerala – 1.1
In Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, the R-value is one but is reportedly decreasing.
Some states that have an R-value of one, but showing a stable trend are:
- Nagaland
- Meghalaya
- Haryana
- Goa
- Jharkhand
- NCT of Delhi
- West Bengal
Kerala has recorded the highest proportion of daily cases in the country in recent weeks. The state reported 23,676 cases on Tuesday.
Niti Aayog (Health) member VK Paul said the increase in Covid-19 cases in Kerala continues to be a concern and said a team from the Center will be sent to visit Mallapuram, the district which has a test positivity rate of over 17 percent.
The ministry said 18 districts in six states, including Kerala, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh, have reported an upward trend in daily new cases of Covid over the past four weeks.
