What Are the Concerns With Rising R-Value of COVID in 8 Indian States?

<div>Amid fears of an impending third wave of coronavirus, a steady rise in R-values in some of the states is indicating that the second wave may not have ebbed all the way yet.<br> <br> </div> <div>The R value indicates the speed at which the COVID-19 infection is spreading amongst the population and, according to the Centre, certain states and Union Territories – like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Mizoram and Karnataka – have all reported an R-value of more than 1. This means that one COVID-positive person is infecting more than one person.<br> <br> </div> <div>The situation is especially worrying in Kerala, which tops the chart in R-value at 1.22, and has been reporting a huge spike in cases as well. <br> <br> Almost 49.85 percent of the total cases in India in the past week were, in fact, reported from this state. A few other states like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh are also seeing a significant weekly rise in coronavirus infections.<br> <br> </div> <div>The concern over an uptick in R-value was flagged by the Centre's COVID Task Force which said that this shows the pandemic is not even close to being over. <br> <br> </div> <div>Dr VK Paul, who leads the COVID task force, also cautioned that R-value should be 0.6 or below. If it has gone over 1, it shows it is a significant problem and the virus wants to spread.<br> <br> </div> <div>So, how concerned should we be? What does the rising R-value mean for India's fight against COVID-19? Does it signal the beginning of a third wave? Tune in!</div> <div> <br> <strong>Producer and Host: </strong>Shorbori Purkayastha<br> <strong>Guests: </strong>Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor at the Christian Medical College, Vellore, and one of country’s most prominent virologists</div> <div> <strong>Editor:</strong> Vaishali Sood<br> <br> </div> <div> <strong>Music:</strong> Big Bang Fuzz</div> <div> <br> <strong>Listen to The Big Story podcast on:</strong> </div> <div><br> </div> <div>Apple: <a