[ianburrell]

R0 is not the only factor in the spread of the disease. R0 is measure of how contagious a disease is, the average number of infections from each case. But other factors matter for the spread and for possibility of containment. For example, the incubation period matters for how fast it spreads, and asymptomatic transmission matters for can be contained.

"With influenza, people who are infected but not yet sick are major drivers of transmission, which does not appear to be the case for COVID-19."

It sounds like the big difference is that most of spread from COVID-19 is when people are sick. With lots of testing, can detect who is sick and isolate them. It also sounds like most of the spread is with close contacts and unlike flu, it is possible to map contacts and isolate them.