 Solution

The infectious count in the SIR model obeys $\dot{I}=I(\beta S-\gamma )$. At the initial state, $\dot{I}(0)=\beta N-\gamma$, so initial epidemic growth requires the epidemic threshold for the closed SIR modelHere ${\mathcal{R}}_0$ is the basic reproduction number in this mass-action infection convention. Necessity also follows globally: $S(t)$ is nonincreasing, so if $\beta N\le \gamma$, then $\beta S(t)-\gamma \le 0$ for all time and $I(t)$ never increases. When $\beta =0$, growth is impossible.