NEW DELHI: India’s test positivity rate has fallen below 2% for the first time in three months, but eight states still report high infection rates as shown by the R factor (reproduction rate).
R factor denotes the number of people getting infected by one person. If the R factor value is above 1, it means one person can spread the infection to more than one person which suggests that the infection is spreading.
For India, the highest R values are in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Tamil Nadu, Mizoram, and Karnataka where this figure is 1.2 or higher.
“We are concerned that some states have the R factor in the wrong direction. It is above 1 and rising, it is truly a cause of concern. The virus wishes to expand. We must curb it,” said V K Paul, member (Niti Aayog) and head of the national Covid19 task force.
Authorities in the press briefing by the Union health ministry also shared that there are 44 districts in the country where the Covid-19 case positivity rate is over 10%. These districts are in Kerala, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, among others.
According to Chennai-based Institute of Mathematical Sciences, R value of SARS-CoV-2 in India crossed 1 on July 27. The R value needs to be brought down to less than 1 for the virus to eventually stop spreading because it cannot infect enough people to sustain the outbreak.