Scientists have estimated that the basic reproductive number of COVID-19 virus is around 2. That means without control, case numbers will double, then quadruple, then be eight times as big, and so on, doubling with each “generation” of cases. Imagine if India reaches stage three(3), in just 28 days the entire country of 1.3 Billion people will be infected.
To stop an epidemic like that permanently, nearly half the population must be immune. While the exact number of people infected in each population is unknown, current estimates are that for every symptomatic case there is about one asymptomatic or very mild case.
It is crucial to emphasize that a pandemic like this does not dissipate on its own, There are two options for Covid-19 at the moment: long-term social distancing or overwhelmed health care systems.
Governments around the world Including India are responding to the covid-19 pandemic, and social distancing is a central aspect of plans to limit the spread of the virus.
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What is social distancing?
Put simply, the idea is to maintain a distance between you and other people — in this case, at least six feet.
That also means minimizing contact with people. Avoid public transportation whenever possible, limit nonessential travel, work from home and skip social gatherings — and definitely do not go to crowded bars and sporting arenas.
“Every single reduction in the number of contacts you have per day with relatives, with friends, co-workers, in school will have a significant impact on the ability of the virus to spread in the population,” said Dr. Gerardo Chowell, chair of population health sciences at Georgia State University, USA.
This strategy saved thousands of lives both during the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 and, more recently, in Mexico City during the 2009 flu pandemic.