The R number, or reproduction number, of the novel coronavirus in Alberta has been trending down the last couple months, according to numbers provided by Alberta Health on Thursday.
The R number provides insight into how the virus is spreading and is determined by how many new cases a single case generates.
For example, a R number of one means one person infects one other person, while a R number of two means one person infects two others.
An R of two could create a situation where the virus gets out of control: one person infects two, who infect four, who infect eight, who infect 16, who infect 32 and so forth.