Cohort-based approach to understanding the roles of generation and serial intervals in shaping epidemiological dynamics

Abstract G eneration intervals and serial intervals are critical quantities for characterizing outbreak dynamics. Generation intervals characterize the time between infection and transmission, while serial intervals characterize the time between the onset of symptoms in a chain of transmission. They are often used interchangeably, leading to misunderstanding of how these intervals link the epidemic growth rate r and the reproduction number ℛ . …