Coronavirus

India’s ‘R-Value’ Cause Of Concern: AIIMS Chief

By
OB Bureau

New Delhi: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) chief Dr Randeep Guleria emphasised on the need for aggressive containment strategies in various parts of the country that are experiencing surge in COVID cases and said that India’s ‘R-Value’ is inching up, and it’s a cause of concern.

“Starting from .96, and going all the way up to 1, the rise in R-Value is a cause of concern. Simply put, this means that the chances of infection spreading from a person, who has Covid, to others have gone up. The areas which are witnessing this surge should bring in restrictions and employ ‘test, track, and treat’ strategy to break the chain of transmission,” Dr Guleria was quoted as saying by NDTV.

The R-Factor or number indicates the effective reproductive number of a deadly virus.

India reported 44,230 fresh infections on Friday, the highest single-day surge in the last three weeks. As many as 46 districts in the country have a positivity rate of more than 10 per cent, according to the government on Saturday.

Explaining the Delta variant threat in the Indian context, Dr Guleria said, “Measles or chicken pox used to have R factor of 8 or more, which means one person could infect eight others. That sort of suggests that this virus is highly infectious. We saw that in our second wave, because whole families were getting infected. This happens with chicken pox also. In a similar manner, when one person has Delta variant, the whole family is vulnerable.”

ALSO READ: Be Careful For 1-2 Years, Don’t Let COVID Explode Again: Warns AIIMS Doctor

OB Bureau

Recent Posts

Man Stabs Brother-In-Law To Death In Odisha’s Sundargarh

Sundargarh: Police arrested a man for allegedly killing his brother-in-law for torturing his sister in…

March 28, 2024

Heavyweight Collaboration: In A First, Reliance Picks Up 26% Stake In Adani Power Project

Mumbai: This is what you call a heavyweight collaboration. In a first-of-its-kind collaboration between rival…

March 28, 2024

PDS Queues Longer, Market Price Of Rice Higher As Kashmir Ditches Paddy For Apple Crop, Urbanisation

Mohammad Aatif Ammad Kanth Anantnag (Jammu & Kashmir): On a chilly winter morning, Irshad Bhat…

March 28, 2024

Odisha Polls: Former Chitrakonda MLA Dambaru Sisa Resigns From BJD

Bhubaneswar: The former MLA of BJD from Chitrakonda in Odisha's Malkangiri district, Dambaru Sisa, on…

March 28, 2024

LS Polls: JMM Nominates Anjani Soren For Odisha’s Mayurbhanj Seat

Bhubaneswar: The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) has announced Anjani Soren as its candidate for Lok…

March 28, 2024

IESA Signs MoU With Bhubaneswar’s BCKIC To Work In Critical Minerals & Energy Sector

Bhubaneswar: India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bhubaneswar City Knowledge…

March 28, 2024

Vigilance Nabs OSD In Odisha’s Nuapada Collectorate While Taking Bribe Of Rs 30,000

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Vigilance on Thursday apprehended an officer in the collectorate of Nuapada district while…

March 28, 2024

Odisha Javelin Star Kishore Jena Set For Diamond League Debut; Neeraj Chopra Among Strong Field

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s star javelin thrower Kishore Jena had a stellar season in 2023. And he’s…

March 28, 2024