The R0, or basic reproduction number, indicates how many new cases one infected person generates

Example with an R0 of 2.6

One

infected

person

5-6 days

An infected person passes the virus on to two or three others, who each pass it on to two or three more, and so on.

At this rate, without interventions such as social distancing, 38 people become infected in a little over two weeks.

Example with an R0 of 2.6

One

infected

person

5-6 days

An infected person passes the virus on to two or three others, who each pass it on to two or three more, and so on.

At this rate, without interventions such as social distancing, 38 people become infected in a little over two weeks.