China's coronavirus has incubation period of around 5 days: Study

The period between exposure to novel coronavirus and the appearance of the first symptoms of the disease is 5.2 days on average, a new study found. According to one of the largest and comprehensive case study published on the mysterious coronavirus which has claimed at least 170 lives till date, the number of cases of the novel coronavirus doubled every 7.4 days since its first emergence.

The report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), found that the median age of the first 425 patients with confirmed Novel Coronavirus - Infected Pneumonia (NCIP) was 59 years. Among those patients, 56 per cent were male while 55 per cent of the cases were linked to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, as compared with 8.6 per cent of the subsequent cases.

Read: Coronavirus Death Toll Rises To 170; Over 7,700 Confirmed Cases In China

The researchers estimated that each infected person transmitted it to 2.2 other people on an average, known as the basic reproductive number, or R0. As per estimated basic reproductive number, the epidemic is close to the seasonal flu (around 1.3), nowhere near measles (12 or higher) and comparable to the SARS-epidemic of 2002-2003 (3). But the team has also admitted that the data is “imprecise” and their findings are the result of a 14-day medical observation period for people exposed to the pathogen.

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IHR Emergency Committee meeting

Meanwhile, the Director-General of the World Health Organization has decided to reconvene the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee on the new coronavirus on January 30. The meeting is aimed at getting advice on whether the current outbreak constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) or not.

“WHO deeply regrets the error in this week's situation report, which inserted the word “moderate” inaccurately in the #coronavirus global risk assessment. This was a human error in preparing the report. I have repeatedly stated the high risk of the outbreak,” tweeted Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Read: India Urges Citizens To 'refrain From Travelling To China' Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

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