Wuhan Virus Spreading Faster Than Ebola: New Research Reveals Rapid Doubling Time

WUHAN, CHINA — Chinese Researchers find that the novel coronavirus epidemic doubled in size every 7.4 days during the initial outbreak from December last year to early this month.

The statistical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests human to human transmission occurred early in the outbreak's beginning.

Examining the first 425 confirmed cases of coronavirus infection, the scientists estimate that the mean incubation period was 5.2 days.

Before January 1, 2020, 55 percent of the symptomatic cases were linked to the Wuhan wet market, but just 8.6 percent of the subsequent cases were connected to the market."

The authors say that it is clear that human-to-human transmission is occurring and that the epidemic has been spreading in recent weeks.

MedPage Today reports that virus' reproductive number of 2.2 means a carrier will infect two people on average, which is more than Ebola.

Citing Infectious Diseases Society of America, the outlet reports that the reproductive number is situational and quarantining a patient could reduce the number to zero.