Evaluation of the epidemiological pattern of covid-19 applying basic reproduction number: An educational review article

Abstract

After the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China, and its spread to other countries, confrontation with it as an international emergency in all countries was seriously on the agenda of governments. Our country was not immune to this outbreak. Effective measures to combat this new virus would be certainly based on a proper understanding of the epidemiological pattern and its evaluation in the community. Under these circumstances, proper understanding and use of epidemiology-based indicators or approaches are more than ever needed by authorities and decision-makers. One of the most important and commonly used indices that have been used in most epidemics, including the COVID-19 outbreak, is the Basic Reproduction Number (R_0). Given the increasing need for the medical community and health care staff to deepen their understanding of the epidemiological concepts in dealing with epidemics, this article aimed to define R_0 and its application in the evaluation and monitoring of the COVID-19 epidemiological pattern in society.