'406 people can be infected in a month by 1 person if...': Centre on Covid-appropriate behaviour

If social distancing is maintained by 75 per cent, the same person can infect around two to three people in a month, Lav Agarwal said citing studies.

If social distancing is not properly maintained, then one individual carrying the SARS-CoV-2 virus can infect about 406 people in a month, joint secretary of the Union health ministry Lav Agarwal said on Thursday during the press briefing of the health ministry. On the contrary, if social distancing is maintained by 75 per cent, the same person can infect around two to three people in a month, the secretary said citing studies.

Social distancing and masking up should not be taken lightly, the Union health minister reiterated on Thursday.

The numbers, cited by the ministry, is not new as this was the finding of a recent ICMR study. The current RO or R Naught for the infection is between 1.5 and 4. Taking this number as 2.5, it has been calculated that one person can infect 406 people in 30 days. R Naught is a term used to show how contagious the virus is.

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Social distancing, however, is not enough if people are not wearing masks properly as a guideline published by the office of the principal scientific adviser said droplets from an infected person can be carried in the air up to 10 metres through aerosols and infect another person at a distance if that both are not wearing masks. Hence, wearing masks properly, not covering only the mouth or keeping it in the chin, is of equal importance, the ministry reminded again.

Despite vaccines, one should not take social distancing lightly, the Centre reiterated.