The incubation period of the new coronavirus that has killed more than 900 people in China could be as long as 24 days, according to a new article co-authored by Chinese epidemiologist Zhong Nanshan.
Zhong, who is famed for his work managing the 2003 SARS outbreak and was appointed a top advisor for this crisis, writes that the incubation could be as short as zero days or long as 24 – ten days longer than previously believed.
The article, which is still awaiting peer review, indicates that the mean incubation period is three days, Hong Kong’s Now News reports.
Quarantine provisions for those suspected of carrying the infection currently extend 14 days, during which time the carrier may not exhibit symptoms.
Some experts have suggested that the virus can be transmitted during this asymptomatic incubation, although others have cast doubt on this.
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Similarly, about 60 more people on a cruise ship in Japan have been infected with the novel coronavirus from China, local media reported citing Japanese government officials.
This raises the total infections from the Diamond Princess ship to about 130, broadcaster NHK reports, citing Japan’s Health Ministry.
Japan has quarantined the vessel at a pier in Yokohama, which carries about 3,700 passengers and crew members from more than 50 countries and regions, since a passenger who disembarked in Hong Kong was confirmed to be infected with the virus earlier this month. (dpa/NAN)
