New Data: COVID-19 Has a Median Incubation Period of 5.1 Days

Patients (as well as relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances) have endless questions for urgent care providers about transmission of COVID-19. As the number of cases mounts many are likely to retrace their steps, mentally, to think about whom they’ve been in contact with, and how long ago they may have been around a large group of people. This begs the question, How long do I need to be concerned?, especially if they know someone who has tested positive. The Annals of Internal Medicine just published data that may help you provide a fact-based answer. According to the article, the median incubation period for COVID19 incubation period is 5.1 days. However, 97.5% of patients who developed symptoms did so within 11.5 days of infection. The data are based on pooled data from 181 confirmed cases of COVID-19 that were reported between January 4, 2020 and February 24, 2020 from 50 provinces, regions, and countries outside Wuhan, China. Further, the researchers released an online tool to help public health officials and the general public to estimate how many cases would be identified—or missed—under different quarantine periods.