Does SARS‐CoV‐2 has a longer incubation period than SARS and MERS?

Abstract

The outbreak of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) since December 2019 in Wuhan, the major transportation hub in central China, became an emergency of major international concern. While several etiological studies have begun to reveal the specific biological features of this virus, the epidemic characteristics need to be elucidated. Notably, a long incubation time was reported to be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection, leading to adjustments in screening and control policies. To

Epidemiological parameters of coronavirus disease 2019: a pooled analysis of publicly reported individual data of 1155 cases from seven countries

“…[2][3][4][5][6][7] There are several possible reasons for the difference. First, the sample size is generally small in previous studies, 2,4,6,7,[9][10][11][12] but much larger in the present one. Second, most cases in previous studies had a long or even unclear interval of exposure, making it difficult to determine the exact exposure date 3,5,13 and giving rise to error.…”

“…The mean or median incubation period and serial interval estimated by previous studies were mostly 4 to 5 days, 2-7 and 4 to 4.5 days, [8][9][10][11][12] respectively. While some of the studies included only a limited number of cases (around or less than 100), 2,4,6,7,[9][10][11][12] others might have suffered from inaccuracy of original data. For example, in some studies, most cases had a long or even unclear interval of exposure, making it difficult to determine the exact exposure date 3,5,13 and giving rise to error.…”

The epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19

“…An unusual case was also reported in which the incubation period was as long as 19 days [9] . Notably, a long incubation time means adjustments in screening and control policies [10] . The 19-day incubation period is a low probability event, and experts suggest 14 days for quarantine.…”

Experience and suggestion of medical practices for burns during the outbreak of COVID-19

“…After the outbreak, medical staff and scientists from all over the world have been racing against time to carry out the basic and clinical research on the new coronavirus and the new coronavirus pneumonia. A series of achievements have been made, which deepens our understanding of the new coronavirus, and provides theoretical support for the prevention and treatment of the new coronavirus pneumonia [6][7][8][9][10][11][12]. However, it is still a critical period for the prevention and control of the new coronavirus pneumonia outbreak.…”