THESE chilling images reveal the reality of the deadly coronavirus - which has killed more than 10,000 people worldwide.

The virus can be seen erupting out from the surface of human cells which were cultured in a laboratory and taken from a patient in America by the US National Institutes of Health.

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7 The round yellow objects seen here under a scanning electron microscope show the virus that causes Covid-19 Credit: Reuters

7 Scientists colorised the pictures so they could differentiate the virus to heathy cells Credit: Reuters

Scientists scanned the bug which causes Covid-19 under an electron microscope and colorised the pictures so they could differentiate the virus to heathy cells.

In particular, the scans clearly show the spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles which give coronaviruses their name - as 'corona' means crown or halo in Latin.

The scientists also discovered from the scans that the virus that causes Covid-19 is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces.

They found that the bug was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

The new disease emerged in China in December and has never been seen in humans before the current outbreak.

7 The scans clearly show the spikes on the outer edge of the virus particles Credit: Reuters

7 The scientists revealed that Covid-19 is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces Credit: Reuters

It's been called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the World Health Organisation and causes an illness that's now named Covid-19.

The new strain is thought to have jumped from bats to humans, via a possible but unknown animal, in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

So far, there have been more than 10,059 deaths worldwide from the outbreak, while over 246,000 have been confirmed as ill.

In the UK alone, the death toll stands at 177, while the number of those diagnosed with Covid-19 is at 3,269.

Currently, there is no vaccine to protect people against the virus.

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7 There is no vaccine to protect people against the virus at the moment Credit: Reuters

Antibiotics do not help, as they do not work against viruses - only bacteria.

Scientists around the world are racing to search for a cure amid fears thousands more individuals will be struck down by the life-threatening illness.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson yesterday revealed a British coronavirus sufferer has become the first to undergo a groundbreaking trial of a new treatment drug.

The Prime Minister also declared trials into a new vaccine begin next month.

7 The Prime Minister declared trials into a new vaccine begin next month Credit: Reuters

Doctors will soon be able to ramp up crucial testing for Covid-19 to 250,000 a day, he added.

It emerged that Public Health England is currently examining a new, small pregnancy test-style procedure that could be a “game-changer”.

It can potentially tell people if they have had the disease — and are now immune to it.

That would be revolutionary, as it would mean millions can go back to work worry-free.

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Mr Johnson said: “We are in negotiations today to buy a so-called antibody test as simple as a pregnancy test that could tell whether you have had the disease.

“It’s early days, but if it works as its proponents claim, we will buy literally hundreds of thousands of these kits as soon as practicable because obviously it has the potential to be a total game-changer.”

The Prime Minister's announcements comes after he and the Queen urged the UK to unite and behave responsibly to beat coronavirus within 12 weeks.