Rai Balram, Shukla Anandi, Dwivedi Laxmi Kant
Department of Mathematical Demography and Statistics, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, 400088 India.
Z Gesundh Wiss. 2022;30(11):2649-2656. doi: 10.1007/s10389-021-01478-1. Epub 2021 Feb 23.
This study aims to conduct a review of the existing literature about incubation period for COVID-19, which can provide insights to the transmission dynamics of the disease.
A systematic review followed by meta-analysis was performed for the studies providing estimates for the incubation period of COVID-19. The heterogeneity and bias in the included studies were tested by various statistical measures, including I statistic, Cochran's Q test, Begg's test and Egger's test.
Fifteen studies with 16 estimates of the incubation period were selected after implementing the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pooled estimate of the incubation period is 5.74 (5.18, 6.30) from the random effects model. The heterogeneity in the selected studies was found to be 95.2% from the I statistic. There is no potential bias in the included studies for meta-analysis.
This review provides sufficient evidence for the incubation period of COVID-19 through various studies, which can be helpful in planning preventive and control measures for the disease. The pooled estimate from the meta-analysis is a valid and reliable estimate of the incubation period for COVID-19.
本研究旨在对关于新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）潜伏期的现有文献进行综述，为该疾病的传播动态提供见解。
对提供COVID-19潜伏期估计值的研究进行系统综述并随后进行荟萃分析。采用包括I统计量、 Cochr an Q检验、Begg检验和Egger检验等多种统计方法检验纳入研究中的异质性和偏倚。
在实施纳入和排除标准后，选择了15项研究，其中有16个潜伏期估计值。随机效应模型得出的潜伏期合并估计值为5.74（5.18，6.30）。根据I统计量，所选研究中的异质性为95.2%。纳入荟萃分析的研究没有潜在偏倚。
本综述通过各项研究为COVID-19的潜伏期提供了充分证据，这有助于制定该疾病的预防和控制措施。荟萃分析得出的合并估计值是COVID-19潜伏期的有效且可靠的估计值。
