The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patients
Abstract Background The incubation period is a crucial index of epidemiology in understanding the spread of the emerging Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we aimed to describe the incubation period of COVID-19 globally and in the mainland of China. Methods The searched studies were...
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doaj-5569132eef6f414da4c7e8ff283dedc12021-09-19T11:41:01ZengBMCInfectious Diseases of Poverty2049-99572021-09-0110111310.1186/s40249-021-00901-9The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patientsCheng Cheng0DongDong Zhang1Dejian Dang2Juan Geng3Peiyu Zhu4Mingzhu Yuan5Ruonan Liang6Haiyan Yang7Yuefei Jin8Jing Xie9Shuaiyin Chen10Guangcai Duan11Department of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Nutrition and Food Hygiene, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityInfection Prevention and Control Department, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityHenan Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityDepartment of Epidemiology and Health Statistics, College of Public Health, Zhengzhou UniversityAbstract Background The incubation period is a crucial index of epidemiology in understanding the spread of the emerging Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we aimed to describe the incubation period of COVID-19 globally and in the mainland of China. Methods The searched studies were published from December 1, 2019 to May 26, 2021 in CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, and Embase databases. A random-effect model was used to pool the mean incubation period. Meta-regression was used to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Meanwhile, we collected 11 545 patients in the mainland of China outside Hubei from January 19, 2020 to September 21, 2020. The incubation period fitted with the Log-normal model by the coarseDataTools package. Results A total of 3235 articles were searched, 53 of which were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled mean incubation period of COVID-19 was 6.0 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6–6.5) globally, 6.5 days (95% CI 6.1–6.9) in the mainland of China, and 4.6 days (95% CI 4.1–5.1) outside the mainland of China (P = 0.006). The incubation period varied with age (P = 0.005). Meanwhile, in 11 545 patients, the mean incubation period was 7.1 days (95% CI 7.0–7.2), which was similar to the finding in our meta-analysis. Conclusions For COVID-19, the mean incubation period was 6.0 days globally but near 7.0 days in the mainland of China, which will help identify the time of infection and make disease control decisions. Furthermore, attention should also be paid to the region- or age-specific incubation period. Graphic Abstracthttps://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-021-00901-9COVID-19Incubation periodMeta-analysis |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Cheng Cheng DongDong Zhang Dejian Dang Juan Geng Peiyu Zhu Mingzhu Yuan Ruonan Liang Haiyan Yang Yuefei Jin Jing Xie Shuaiyin Chen Guangcai Duan |
spellingShingle |
Cheng Cheng DongDong Zhang Dejian Dang Juan Geng Peiyu Zhu Mingzhu Yuan Ruonan Liang Haiyan Yang Yuefei Jin Jing Xie Shuaiyin Chen Guangcai Duan The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patients Infectious Diseases of Poverty COVID-19 Incubation period Meta-analysis |
author_facet |
Cheng Cheng DongDong Zhang Dejian Dang Juan Geng Peiyu Zhu Mingzhu Yuan Ruonan Liang Haiyan Yang Yuefei Jin Jing Xie Shuaiyin Chen Guangcai Duan |
author_sort |
Cheng Cheng |
title |
The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patients |
title_short |
The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patients |
title_full |
The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patients |
title_fullStr |
The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patients |
title_full_unstemmed |
The incubation period of COVID-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a Chinese observation study of 11 545 patients |
title_sort |
incubation period of covid-19: a global meta-analysis of 53 studies and a chinese observation study of 11 545 patients |
publisher |
BMC |
series |
Infectious Diseases of Poverty |
issn |
2049-9957 |
publishDate |
2021-09-01 |
description |
Abstract Background The incubation period is a crucial index of epidemiology in understanding the spread of the emerging Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we aimed to describe the incubation period of COVID-19 globally and in the mainland of China. Methods The searched studies were published from December 1, 2019 to May 26, 2021 in CNKI, Wanfang, PubMed, and Embase databases. A random-effect model was used to pool the mean incubation period. Meta-regression was used to explore the sources of heterogeneity. Meanwhile, we collected 11 545 patients in the mainland of China outside Hubei from January 19, 2020 to September 21, 2020. The incubation period fitted with the Log-normal model by the coarseDataTools package. Results A total of 3235 articles were searched, 53 of which were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled mean incubation period of COVID-19 was 6.0 days (95% confidence interval [CI] 5.6–6.5) globally, 6.5 days (95% CI 6.1–6.9) in the mainland of China, and 4.6 days (95% CI 4.1–5.1) outside the mainland of China (P = 0.006). The incubation period varied with age (P = 0.005). Meanwhile, in 11 545 patients, the mean incubation period was 7.1 days (95% CI 7.0–7.2), which was similar to the finding in our meta-analysis. Conclusions For COVID-19, the mean incubation period was 6.0 days globally but near 7.0 days in the mainland of China, which will help identify the time of infection and make disease control decisions. Furthermore, attention should also be paid to the region- or age-specific incubation period. Graphic Abstract |
topic |
COVID-19 Incubation period Meta-analysis |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40249-021-00901-9 |
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