(CNN) A mysterious pneumonia outbreak that has struck dozens of people and put China on edge is from the same family of viruses as the deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), according to Chinese scientists. The report said the whole genome sequence of the virus has been obtained, and a sample isolated from one of the patients showed "typical coronavirus appearance" under an electron microscope. Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to SARS, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Some coronaviruses transmit easily from person to person, while others do not. The SARS virus, a coronavirus like the common cold, is shown in pink in this electron micrograph image from the Centers for Disease Control.

Source: CNN January 09, 2020 04:36 UTC