Ever since the cases of new coronavirus were first detected in Wuhan, China, in December last year, images of people wearing masks and health officials dressed in protective clothing are being flashed across the news channels.

While microbiologist around the world are studying the virus to develop a vaccine to cure the disease, many of us non-scientist haven't actually seen what this new coronavirus looks like.

The deadly virus, officially named COVID-19 by the World Health Organisation (WHO), has so far killed more than 1,500 and infected over 63, 000 people across China. Over 25 other countries have also documented confirmed coronavirus cases as it has grown to be a global public health emergency.

Coronavirus
This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (orange)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (green) cultured in the lab.Credit: NIAID-RML

Letting people see for the first time, the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), on Thursday, released images of the virus showing us what it looks like up close.

coronavirus
This scanning electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2 (yellow)—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells (blue/pink) cultured in the lab.Credit: NIAID-RML

Viruses are extremely small infections blobs made up of either RNA or DNA wrapped inside a protein coat. They are too tiny to be seen by a typical light microscope. 

coronavirus
This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19. isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab.Credit: NIAID-RML

Researchers at the NIAID' Rocky Mountain Laboratory (RML) produced these images of the virus taken from a U.S. patient infected with COVID-19 using scanning and transmission electron microscopes.

The lab's visual medical arts office has digitally colourized the images.

The images of the 2019-nCOV look very similar to MERS-CoV (middle respiratory syndrome coronavirus) which emerged in 2012, and the SARS-CoV (Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) which emerged in 2002, notes NIAID in the blog.

coronavirus
This transmission electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2—also known as 2019-nCoV, the virus that causes COVID-19—isolated from a patient in the U.S. Virus particles are shown emerging from the surface of cells cultured in the lab. The spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles give coronaviruses their name, crown-like.Credit: NIAID-RML
"That is not surprising: The spikes on the surface of coronavirus give this virus family its name-corona, which is Latin for "crown" and most any coronavirus will have a crown like appearance."

There has been no vaccine or drug proven effective so far against the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

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