Spike in reproduction rate of Covid-19 fuels fears of second wave in Germany
A surge in reproduction rate of Covid-19 in Germany over the past two days following local outbreaks in meatpacking plants and nursing homes has prompted concerns over a second wave of the virus.
The reproduction rate of Covid-19 jumped to 1.79 on Saturday and 2.88 on Sunday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said.
“Since case numbers in Germany are generally low, these local outbreaks have a relatively strong influence on the value of the reproduction number. Further developments need to be monitored closely during the upcoming days, especially in regard to whether case numbers are increasing outside of outbreak contexts,” it added.
The reproduction number (R) is the average number of secondary infections produced by one infected person. R can change over time. For example, it falls when there is a reduction in the number of contacts between people, which reduces transmission. The growth rate reflects how quickly the number of infections is changing day by day It is an approximation of the change of number infections each day.
Germany has so far reported 189,822 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 8,882 deaths and 174,900 recoveries. (ILKHA)