Decoded: SIR Model to herd immunity, making sense of pandemic jargon

The new mutant variants of Covid-19 are said to be more infectious, with higher R0

Topics
Coronavirus | Immunity | Health Ministry

Devangshu Datta  |  New Delhi 

Prior to Covid-19, most people had not heard of epidemiology. Epidemiologists use maths and data to examine health-related variables (not just diseases — they also look at diet, lifestyle, tobacco use, alcohol use, etc). They make projections about the future course of diseases. Like all acad­emic disciplines, epidemiology has its own jargon.

The models and underlying as­su­m­ptions are rarely explained. Here’s an at­t­empt to make sense of some of the jargon. SIR Model: The “Susceptibility Infected Recovered” (SIR) Model is commonly used. At ...

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First Published: Thu, April 15 2021. 06:10 IST
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