At 1.3, R-factor highest in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 10

Himachal Pradesh and Punjab currently top the rate of Covid-19 transmission in India with the highest virus reproductive value of 1.3 each which indicates rising infection trends and disease resurgence.

On a day when India’s daily Covid-19 cases dropped to 28,204 in a 147-day low, the government sent out warning signals to eight states with R-value equal to or higher than 1.

These states are Himachal and Punjab (R-factor 1.3 each), Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (1.1 each), and Andhra Pradesh, Goa and Nagaland (1 each). Although the government today said Kerala remained an area of grave concern as 51.51% of the new cases last week came from the state, it said new pockets of cases in Himachal, Punjab and other states with rising R-factor were a matter of concern.

“The reproduction number refers to how many people an infected person can further infect on an average. If the number is less than one, it means cases are declining and will disappear eventually,” Health Ministry spokesperson Lav Agarwal said.

The 11 states housing 37 districts where cases have been rising for two weeks include Kerala (11 districts), Tamil Nadu (7) and Himachal Pradesh (6).

Hamirpur, Kangra, Bilaspur, Chamba, Mandi and Shimla are showing a rise in cases for a fortnight, said the health ministry.