Incubation period of new coronavirus can be as long as 24 DAYS instead of previously thought two weeks, study reveals
Chinese virus researchers put the incubation period from zero to 24 days
Study was participated by Dr Zhong Nanshan, a leading expert of the virus
The medical paper was published yesterday and yet to be peer-reviewed
WHO said a very long incubation period could reflect a double exposure
The organisation has not changed the advised quarantine time of 14 days
By TRACY YOU
DAILYMAIL.COM
10 February 2020
The incubation period of a new strain of coronavirus currently ravaging China can be as long as 24 days, a new study has revealed.
At present, scientists believe the novel coronavirus has an incubation period – the time between it entering the body and the last point at which it could cause symptoms – of around 14 days.
And anyone suspected to be infected with the deadly disease is advised to be put under quarantine for two weeks right now in China and beyond.
One UK-based expert considered the findings ‘worrying’, but suggested that only a ‘very small’ number of patients were likely to have ‘really long’ incubation periods.
WHO experts suggested that the 24-day incubation period could reflect a double exposure in a patient. The organisation said it was not considering changing the recommended quarantine time of two weeks.
The fast-spreading disease has killed at least 910 people and infected more than 40,640 globally.
People can be infected by being exposed to virus-carrying saliva or touching contaminated surfaces.
Beijing officials previously claimed that the disease could be contagious even before symptoms show.
The new revelation emerged in a study published yesterday by a group of Chinese researchers on medRxiv, a preprint site for scientific medical papers.
The report was written by 37 specialists, including Dr Zhong Nanshan, who is the leader of a team of medical experts appointed by China’s National Health Commission to deal with the novel coronavirus.
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Incubation period keeps rising. The safer thing would be to go to MORE than 24 days. 30 days seems more appropriate, to be on the safe side.
Problem is, I seem to be one, of the few, who wants to be on the safe side.
Governments don’t want to be safe.
People, in incubation, don’t want to be safe
etc.
That shows containment is unlikely.