Chinese Researchers: Women Have Longer COVID-19 Incubation Period Than Men

[Asia Economy Reporter Donghyun Choi] A study has found that the incubation period of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in women may be longer than in men.

According to Huanqiu.com on the 6th, medical staff at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University recently published a paper titled "Women May Play a More Important Role in COVID-19 Transmission than Men" on the preprint platform SSRN, pointing out that "since women may have a longer incubation period, their quarantine period should be longer than 14 days."

This paper, which has not yet undergone peer review, stated that women tend to have relatively milder symptoms and a longer incubation period than men, possibly because women naturally have stronger immunity that resists the virus better than men.

The medical staff also explained, "Because of stronger immunity, the time during which the virus can be suppressed is longer, but if the virus cannot be completely eliminated, the incubation period becomes longer." They emphasized that asymptomatic onset and prolonged incubation in women have a significant impact on COVID-19 transmission.

The authors of the paper conducted their study on 2,045 confirmed cases (953 men and 1,092 women) at Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University as of the 20th of last month.