Coronavirus

Each Covid-19 patient spread the virus to three other people early in the pandemic

Between February 25 and May 31, each Covid-19 recipient spread the virus to three other people in Brazil, on average. The data comes from a joint study from the University of São Paulo (USP), University of Oxford and Imperial College London.

A rate of spread (R0) around 3 puts Brazil ahead of countries like Italy, Spain, France and the UK, whose rate of spread averaged around 2.5 to 2.6 during the worst months of the pandemic. To be considered under control, the Covid-19 pandemic has to present an R0 below 1, which means that to every new individual with the coronavirus less than one person is expected to be infected.

The research was published in the peer-reviewed scholarly journal Nature Human Behavior – one of the most important in the world.

It seems that Brazil still has a long way to go before declaring the Covid-19 pandemic under control. According to the Imperial College London, the country’s rate of spread is growing once again North of 1, which means that the pandemic is still accelerating in Brazil. Today’s daily newsletter explains how Brazil never quite controlled the Covid-19 pandemic from the outset.

Support this coverage →
Rafael Lima

Rafael is a Communication student at Wake Forest University, and a student fellow of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

Recent Posts

Petro’s far-fetched train project to compete with the Panama Canal

Panama was once a part of Colombia. Its canal, a monumental engineering achievement of its…

2 hours ago

Market Roundup: The new skills corporate board members need

The specialization trend among corporate board members It is not only a matter of perception:…

1 day ago

As elections near, what’s next for Panama’s closed copper mine?

Panama will hold its presidential elections on Sunday, months after huge protests saw thousands descend…

1 day ago

Madonna concert to inject BRL 300 million into Rio economy

The city of Rio de Janeiro estimates that a Madonna concert this Saturday on Copacabana…

2 days ago

Panama ready to vote as Supreme Court clears frontrunner

Latin America’s trend of banning opposition candidates from elections has caught on in an ever-growing…

2 days ago

Sabesp privatization edges closer with São Paulo legislation

The São Paulo City Council on Thursday approved legislation authorizing Brazil’s largest city to sign…

2 days ago