During the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization estimated that each sick individual was infecting an average of two others. This “basic reproductive number” or (RO), pronounced “R naught,” reveals how contagious a disease is.

Research from Duke University says the number is likely twice as big, with one infected individual bringing down an average of 4-5 people with them according to a study published in the Journal LOS One. The research is pretty amazing; there are a lot of numbers, graphs, charts, statistics and brain power involved! If you are into the research of disease, the study is worth a read.

At the end of the day, it appears that we had a very small window of time to effect change and unfortunately many countries missed that opportunity based on information that they had at the time. Stay tuned to what the research is telling us; the pandemic is far from over and we need these scientific minds to work their magic, share their findings, and assist in guiding our next steps.

Stay well, stay safe, and stay tuned!