Video PlayerClose
JERUSALEM, Feb. 5 (Xinhua) -- Israel's COVID-19 reproduction number, also known as the R number, has risen to 1, the state's Ministry of Health said on Friday.
The R number is an indicator used to determine the pace of the COVID-19 spread, as reproduction rate means the average number of people that a person carrying the virus goes on to infect.
When the R number is greater than 1, the number of patients increases at an exponential rate and multiplies from time to time. On the other hand, an R number less than 1 means the spread of the pandemic has been curbed.
Despite the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in Israel, the R number has risen gradually since mid-January, when it stood at 0.9.
On Dec. 27, 2020, when the lockdown took effect, the R number was 1.26.
So far, a total of 679,149 coronavirus patients have been diagnosed in Israel, 5,019 of whom have died. Enditem
