How to calculate the reproductive number, R0

This epidemiological concept is often mentioned in the general media and is discussed in this article in the Guardian, and we know that if it goes above one, that is a bad thing.   

But what is R0 and how do you calculate it?   

Here are some things that might help.

Health Knowledge  - this piece from their public health textbook discusses the concept in general, and other related concepts.   The site was originally designed for people undertaking specialist public health training as public health specialist registrars.

Public Health England - this blog post from May 2020 discusses how R numbers are calculated.

If you would rather watch something, this from Penn State University's Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics is a good introduction to the contributing factors to R0 and what can be done to reduce it below 1 (all familiar ideas from our own context).

There is also this from the Khan Academy and this from the PenguinProf.