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. 2022 May 3;74(9):1678-1681.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab746.

Estimating the Latent Period of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Hualei Xin  1 , Yu Li  2 , Peng Wu  1   3 , Zhili Li  2 , Eric H Y Lau  1   3 , Ying Qin  2 , Liping Wang  2 , Benjamin J Cowling  1   3 , Tim K Tsang  1 , Zhongjie Li  2
Affiliations

Estimating the Latent Period of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Hualei Xin et al. Clin Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Using detailed exposure information on COVID-19 cases, we estimated the mean latent period to be 5.5 (95% CI: 5.1-5.9) days, shorter than the mean incubation period (6.9 days). Laboratory testing may allow shorter quarantines since 95% of COVID-19 cases shed virus within 10.6 (95% CI: 9.6-11.6) days of infection.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; incubation period; latent period.

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