The incubation period for the deadly coronavirus could be as long as 24 days, according to a study led by Zhong Nanshan, an expert on respiratory infections and the head of the health commission team investigating the outbreak.

The incubation period is the time it takes between being exposed to a virus and symptoms appearing. Previously, medical experts said that coronavirus, also known as corona, had an incubation period of between two and 14 days.

But the study, published on Sunday, revealed that the incubation period is between three and 24 days, meaning that more people may have coronavirus without visible symptoms than previously thought.