Covid-19 | ‘One person can spread virus to 406 others’

Health Ministry cites study that says transmission could be restricted to 2.5 persons with safety norms.

A COVID-19 infected person not following any social distancing measure can spread it to as many as 406 people in 30 days, said Health Ministry spokesperson Lav Agarwal on Thursday. He was quoting a study conducted at a stem cell research laboratory in the United States’ University of California San Diego. The projections have been made by a team led by scientist Robert A.J. Signer, according to which 75% reduction in social exposure could restrict the spread to just 2.5 people in 30 days. Quoting a media report on a survey involving 2,000 respondents across 25 cities, Mr. Agarwal said 50% people did not wear a mask and of them, 64% covered mouth but not nose, while 20% wore mask on chin and 2% on neck. Only 14% wore mask correctly, covering nose, mouth, chin and with a clip on the nose, he said urging the people to follow social distancing guidelines diligently.