Covid 19 +ve person can infect 406 others: ICMR

Sushmi.Dey@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:08.04.2020

One person infected with coronavirus can possibly infect 406 others in just 30 days in the absence of a lockdown and social distancing measures, but this can dramatically come down to 2.5 people with a 75% reduction in social exposure, a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) shows.

"If one person does not follow lockdown and social distancing norms, he can infect 406 people in 30 days. However, if social exposure is reduced by 75%, then the same infected person can spread it to just 2.5 people," health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal said on Tuesday.

“It is, therefore, our appeal to all of you to follow the lockdown and social distancing measures. We should understand that this is a very important intervention in the management of Covid-19,” Agarwal added, citing the study to underline the importance of observing the lockdown.

At present, the mathematical component that represents the number of persons to whom an infected person can spread the disease is between 1.5 to 4 for Covid-19, Agarwal said and added that health minister Harsh Vardhan was right in stating that "social distancing is social vaccine" in managing the infection.

However, recent reports also suggest that coronavirus often infects clusters of family members and friends. These trends assume significance in India where family members often stay together and members comprise different age groups, making social distancing a difficult proposition.

WHERE TO? A family ventures out wearing masks during lockdown in New Delhi on Tuesday