COVID-19 may have longer incubation period of eight days, scientists say
Beijing: The incubation period of COVID-19, which is the time after which those infected with the novel coronavirus start showing the first symptoms, could be as much as eight days -- longer than previous estimates of four to five days says a new study which involved the largest amount of patient samples to date in such an analysis.
The research, published in the journal Science Advances, identified pre-symptomatic individuals at their time of departure from the Chinese city of Wuhan, where the COVID-19 pandemic originated, and then followed these infected people until their symptoms developed.
According to the scientists, including Chong You from Peking University in China, the existing estimates of four to five days for the incubation period were based on small samples sizes, limited data, and self-reports that could be biased by the memory or judgement of the patient or interviewer.
In the current study, they developed a low-cost approach to estimate incubation periods, and applied it to 1,084 confirmed cases of COVID-19 that had known histories of travel or residency in Wuhan.
The method has better accuracy by relying on a public database of dates of infection, and uses statistical methods to reduce recall bias -- the inaccurate recollection of past events, the scientists said.
Using the new approach, the researchers calculated that the average incubation period was 7.75 days, with 10 percent of the patients showing an incubation period of 14.28 days.
They said the findings may concern health authorities relying on the standard 14-day quarantine, but cautioned that their approach relies on several assumptions and may not apply to later cases in different parts of the world where the virus may have mutated.
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After fake ID crackdown, IRCTC daily new accounts down to 5000 from one lakh: Railways
New Delhi (PTI): With a new, stringent system to establish user identity, the number of new user IDs being added daily on the IRCTC website has declined to about 5,000 from nearly one lakh, officials said on Saturday.
Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw noted that the crackdown by Indian Railways on train ticket booking through fake identities is yielding positive results, according to a press note.
Before the latest reforms, this number had touched nearly one lakh new user IDs per day, it said.
"Following the introduction of a stringent system to establish user identity and detect fake IDs, about 5,000 new user IDs are now being added daily on the IRCTC website," the note said.
The officials stated that these steps have already helped Indian Railways deactivate 3.03 crore fake accounts.
"Another 2.7 crore user IDs have either been temporarily suspended or identified for suspension based on the suspicious activities they are indulging in," they said.
The Union minister directed officials to ensure that the ticketing system is reformed to a level where all travellers are able to book tickets easily through a real and genuine user ID, the press note added.
Additionally, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has directed officials to provide local cuisine of the region in Vande Bharat trains.
Introducing local cuisine that reflects the culture and tastes of the regions being traversed will significantly enhance the passenger experience, officials said.
This facility will be expanded to all the trains progressively in future, they added.
