Our meta-analysis showed that the weighted pooled mean serial interval of COVID-19 was 5.2 (95%CI: 4.9–5.5) days. The mean serial interval of COVID-19 ranged from 4. We combined a total of 23 studies to estimate the overall mean serial interval of COVID-19. Microsoft Excel was used for data extraction and R software was used for analysis. A random effect Meta-analysis was employed to determine the pooled estimate with 95% (CI). The NOS adapted for cross-sectional studies was used to evaluate the quality of studies. Heterogeneity across studies was assessed using the I 2 and Higgins test. All observational studies either reporting the serial interval or incubation period in persons diagnosed with COVID-19 were included in this study.
A comprehensive search strategy was carried out from international electronic databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Science Direct, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library) by two experienced reviewers (MAA and DBK) authors between the 1st of June and the 31st of July 2020. We followed the PRISMA checklist to present this study. Hence, this study aimed to determine the overall average serial interval and incubation period of COVID-19. Combining findings of existing studies that estimate the average serial interval and incubation period of COVID-19 significantly improves the quality of evidence. Globally, a number of studies were conducted to estimate the average serial interval and incubation period of COVID-19. Understanding the epidemiological parameters that determine the transmission dynamics of COVID-19 is essential for public health intervention.