After breaching the value of one in the first week of August, the R number—which reflects how rapidly the coronavirus pandemic is spreading—has been steadily decreasing in the country including in Kerala and some northeastern States, according to researchers.
The R-value between August 14-16, calculated by the researchers, now stands at 0.89.
If R is less than one, it means the number of newly infected people is lower than the number of infected people in the preceding period and the disease incidence is going down.
India’s R has fallen to around 0.9, Sitbara Sinha of the Indian Institute of Mathematical Science, who is leading the research, told a news agency, citing their data.
The R-value of Kerala, which has the highest number of active cases in the country, is now below one, signalling a relief to authorities who have been struggling to bring down the infection levels in the state.
Earlier this week, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, visited Kerala with a central team to review the COVID-19 situation in the state.
The Minister said the Centre has allocated `267.35 crore to the state to strengthen its health infrastructure and will also provide 1.11 crore vaccines in August and September.
There are currently 4,98,630 people under surveillance in various districts of the State. Of these, 4,70,771 are in home or institutional quarantine and 27,859 in hospitals, according to the state health department.
Kerala, which recorded the first COVID-19 case in the country, received accolades for effectively handling the first wave, but the State Government has been under criticism after the second wave.