Why Scientists Can't Agree On Just How Contagious The Coronavirus Is

2020-02-06 133

How quickly will the new coronavirus continue to spread?
According to Business Insider, the answer to that critica question involves one of the most important numbers in epidemiology.
It's the basic reproduction number, also known as R0, pronounced 'R-naught.'
R0 represents how many people an average patient spreads the disease to.
Scientists around the world have calculated different R0 values for the new coronavirus, mostly between 2 and 4.