[IAmGraydon]

You can’t reduce the basic reproduction number (R0) of a pathogen. You can reduce doubling time and similar metrics of the actual spread, but R0 is a fixed number. What you are referring to is the effective reproduction number, which is the rate of spread in a population at it’s current state.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number

[watwut]

Change in behavior can change basic reproduction number. That is what happened with SARS. Making basic reproduction number smaller is whole point of those curfew laws and of closing shops we now have. It is also the point of washing hands often and keeping distance.

It is defined as "expected number of cases directly generated by one case in a population where all individuals are susceptible to infection". And that is possible to influence by behavior. If no one even meets anybody, no sick person can generate next case. If people live in over-crowded houses, one person will infect many more.

[usaar333]

Huh?

"R0 is not a biological constant for a pathogen as it is also affected by other factors such as environmental conditions and the behaviour of the infected population."

[crankylinuxuser]

Pretty way of saying "Summer heat causes these things to go in remission" by lowering the R0 for a time.

[notfromhere]

Given that there are cases in hot, humid climates now, I wouldn’t expect summer to save us

[leethargo]

From what I've read recently, I agree with this distinction. It's simply a matter of definition. R_0 is the infection rate without any measures taken. Sometimes, R is used for the net infection (e.g. with social distancing).

[adenadel]

Read the first sentence of the second paragraph.

[mistrial9]

citation please

[IAmGraydon]

Added. It’s all in the first paragraph.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number

[jacquesm]

Maybe you should read a bit further than the first paragraph for your future citations?

"R0 is not a biological constant for a pathogen as it is also affected by other factors such as environmental conditions and the behaviour of the infected population."