As more people's bodies encounter coronavirus and launch immune responses to it, the number of infectible people should shrink. Yet ASU's virus modelling team says the virus's transmission rate is the same today as last spring.
Since spring, hundreds of thousands of Arizonans have been exposed to the virus that causes COVID-19. Yet Joshua LaBaer of ASU's Biodesign Institute said, surprisingly, the disease is spreading just as readily now.
"The fact that the transmission rate is as high as it was back then means that people are doing a better job of transmitting it, which is not good," LaBaer said.
Arizona's daily rate of new cases averages 1,300 to 1,400, while the U.S. average is on track to reach 100,000.
LaBaer said these figures underline the need for renewed diligence in masking, testing and social distancing. He recommended families keep holiday gatherings small.
"I would suggest for the upcoming holidays that people really limit it to their immediate family this year. I don't think it's a great year for big family get-togethers," he said.
