"The advantage of having the 'genome isolate' as we call it is we can confirm that our tests are working well and we've already done that. We can also make a contribution in terms of understanding how the virus is changing around the world," he said.

Professor Dwyer said that, as well as aiding testing for the virus, having genome sequences would help vaccine manufacturers by giving them viruses they could use to test potential vaccines.

Their data has been added to the World Health Organisation's online database, which has 50 full genomes of the virus, including one from Melbourne. Researchers at the Doherty Institute there were the first outside China to grow the virus.

The death toll for the virus stands at 910, with all but two of those in mainland China. Worldwide, 40,514 people have been diagnosed with the virus. Fifteen people in Australia have been diagnosed with the virus and three of NSW's four patients have fully recovered. One 43-year-old man remains at Westmead Hospital.