Russia’s coronavirus reproduction rate remains below 1

MOSCOW. KAZINFORM - The coronavirus reproduction rate in Russia rose from 0.9 to 0.94 on Saturday, according to a TASS analysis based on data from the national anti-coronavirus crisis center. The rate remained above 1 for the fourth day in a row, TASS reports.

The coronavirus reproduction rate stands below 1 in nine of Russia’s top ten regions with the highest number of coronavirus cases. The rate is 1 in St. Petersburg, 0.97 in the Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk regions, 0.96 in Moscow, 0.95 in the Moscow region, 0.94 in the Voronezh region, 0.93 in the Rostov region, 0.91 in the Sverdlovsk region, 0.77 in the Nizhny Novgorod region and 0.65 in the Samara region.

The coronavirus reproduction rate indicates the average number of people one sick person can infect. It is one of the criteria to be considered when it comes to removing restrictions introduced in the spring to prevent the infection from spreading. The country’s authorities particularly take the coronavirus reproduction rate into account when making decisions on resuming international flights. According to the Russian sanitary watchdog, it is possible to reopen the country’s border to foreign nationals in case their countries’ coronavirus reproduction rates remain at or below 1 for a week.