
Australian scientists have grown the 'dangerous' coronavirus in a high-security lab, a major step towards finding a vaccine.

Experts at Melbourne's Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity took a sample of the virus from the first patient diagnosed in Australia on Friday.

They worked around the clock to grow the virus on a bed of cells and were successful by Tuesday night.

The scientists will now share the virus with the World Health Organisation, which will distribute it to labs around the world amid hopes a vaccine can be developed in two months.

The Doherty Institute is the second lab to grow the virus after one in China cultivated it last week. The Chinese lab, however, only released the genome sequence, meaning labs around the world still did not have a physical sample.

Growing the virus is important for developing a vaccine because scientists can now test how it behaves. Scientists can also generate an antibody test, which can be used to detect the virus in patients without symptoms.

Scroll down for video

Doherty Institute lead scientist Julian Druce (right) with co-deputy director of the Doherty Institute Mike Catton (left)

Doherty Institute lead scientist Julian Druce was part of the team who managed to grow the coronavirus

When the Melbourne scientists had discovered they had grown the virus on Tuesday, co-deputy director of the Doherty Institute Mike Catton said: 'We got it. Fantastic.'

He said the virus was 'dangerous' but not as deadly Ebola which killed 11,000 in west Africa from 2014 or SARS which spread from China and killed around 800 in 2003.

'SARS we know had a death rate of about 10 per cent. This coronavirus appears to be three per cent. My personal opinion is it will turn out to be lower than that,' Dr Catton told the ABC.

In a press conference on Wednesday afternoon, Dr Catton said growing the virus was a major 'piece of the puzzle' towards finding a vaccine - but warned there is a long way to go before the virus is eradicated.

The new coronavirus was first detected in Wuhan, China in early December and has since spread around world, killing more than 130 and infecting more than 6,000. There are five confirmed cases in Australia - all of whom had visited Wuhan recently.

On Wednesday morning government website Smarttraveller issued a 'do not travel' warning, telling Australian citizens to avoid China at all costs.

More than 11million people are stranded and unable to travel in or out of the region as China stepped up preventive measures to limit its spread.

The virus, which belongs to the same family as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), has spread to 17 countries, with Sri Lanka and Cambodia the latest to announce cases on Tuesday. A second diagnosed case was also confirmed in Canada.

No deaths have been reported outside of China so far.

Five people are being treated in Australian hospitals for the virus but Australia's Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy said they were all in a stable condition.

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS OF THE CORONAVIRUS? Once someone has caught the virus it may take between two and 14 days for them to show any symptoms. If and when they do, typical signs include: a runny nose

a cough

sore throat

fever (high temperature) The vast majority of patients – at least 97 per cent, based on available data – will recover from these without any issues or medical help. In a small group of patients, who seem mainly to be the elderly or those with long-term illnesses, it can lead to pneumonia. Pneumonia is an infection in which the insides of the lungs swell up and fill with fluid. It makes it increasingly difficult to breathe and, if left untreated, can be fatal and suffocate people. Advertisement

Health Minister Greg Hunt warned the disease is of 'pandemic potential' and the number of cases in the country is expected to rise as more are tested every day.

'There are a number of cases being considered in each of the states and territories, those numbers will literally change by the hour because some will be cleared and others will be tested,' he told Sky News.

'We do believe that there is a potential for further cases to be identified and therefore, to be announced. At this stage, the latest advice is that all five patients are being treated in isolation and all are stable and being well cared for.

'We have some of the strongest border protection measures in place around the world and we have biosecurity officials boarding all planes from China looking for symptoms.

'The Prime Minister has ordered all planes coming from China are boarded by security officials and that's an extremely important measure.

'Every passenger is met with by biosecurity officials and not only are they provided with information, but there is a review of their symptoms and the situation.'

Foreign Minister Marise Payne issued a travel warning on Wednesday, advising Australians to stay away from Hubei.

Minister Hunt said department officials are making 'significant progress' in finding a way for the Australians stuck in China to get home.

A consular team in Shanghai has been dispatched to Wuhan to help negotiate their evacuation.

'They are being crosschecked to ensure there is no double-counting because sometimes you will have multiple family members report the same person, but at this stage, approximately 400 registrations have been placed with Foreign Affairs,' Mr Hunt said.

On Tuesday, Western Australia was given the all-clear for the deadly coronavirus but public schools will take extra precautions to keep students safe.

The state government on Tuesday confirmed four adult patients who were being closely monitored had tested negative to the virus.

There are no further suspected cases.

Emma Wei, from Melbourne, is trapped in Wuhan with her two children amid China's lockdown

The family of two adults and two children were taken to Westmead Hospital in western Sydney on Monday afternoon after showing symptoms of the disease. The family was cleared Tuesday morning but six new cases are under investigation

Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath

In Queensland, paramedics were called to a suspected coronavirus case at a Gold Coast hotel resort after receiving reports a guest was showing symptoms of the virus.

CORONAVIRUS CASES IN AUSTRALIA NEW SOUTH WALES: 4 Four people in NSW have been diagnosed with coronavirus, including three men and one woman. January 25 Three men aged 43, 53, and 35 who had recently travelled to China are confirmed to have contracted the disease.

Two flew in from Wuhan while the other arrived in Sydney from Shenzhen, south China.

They are being treated in isolation at Westmead Hospital and are in stable condition. January 27 A 21-year-old woman is identified as the fourth person to test positive for the illness in NSW.

The woman, a student at UNSW, flew into Sydney International Airport on flight MU749 on January 23 and presented to the emergency department 24 hours later after developing flu-like symptoms.

She is being treated in isolation at Westmead Hospital. VICTORIA: 4 January 25 A Chinese national aged in his 50s becomes the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in Australia.

The man flew to Melbourne on China Southern flight CZ321 from Wuhan via Guangzhou on January 19.

He is now in quarantined isolation at Monash Hospital in Clayton in Melbourne's east. January 29 A Victorian man in his 60s is diagnosed with the coronavirus.

He became unwell on January 23 - two days after returning from the Chinese city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

The man was confirmed as positive on January 29 and was subsequently seen by doctors at the Monash Medical Centre. He was assessed as being well enough to stay at home. January 30 A woman in her 40s falls ill with the coronavirus.

She was visiting from China and mostly spent time with her family.

She is being treated at Royal Melbourne Hospital. February 1 A Melbourne woman aged in her 20s is at home recovering. She returned from Wuhan on January 25 and fell ill two days later. She was not infectious on the flight, and has remained in isolation since being tested. QUEENSLAND: 2 January 29 Queensland confirms its first case after a 44-year-old Chinese national wass diagnosed with the virus.

He is being treated at Gold Coast University Hospital. January 30 A 42-year-old Chinese woman who was travelling in the same Wuhan tour group as the 44-year-old man tests positive. She is in Gold Coast University Hospital in stable condition. SOUTH AUSTRALIA: 2 February 1 A Chinese couple were placed in isolation in a public hospital. The man and a woman both aged 60, were from Wuhan and visiting relatives in South Australia. SA Health said the pair isolated themselves at home when they developed symptoms and awaited the results of the coronavirus test. Australia has raised the travel alert level to 'do not travel' for the city of Wuhan - the epicentre of the outbreak - and for the entire Hubei province. Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy says unless people have contact with someone who is unwell and has come from that part of China, there is no need for current concern. Advertisement

Paramedics clad from head-to-toe in decontamination suits were seen descending on Peppers Broadbeach, around 1.30pm on Tuesday.

A Queensland Ambulance Services spokesman said paramedics attended a 'medical incident' on Elizabeth Street and a patient was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital in a stable condition.

An ambulance source said the patient had recently returned to the Gold Coast from China and was displaying symptoms, The Gold Coast Bulletin reports.

It is believed police were present to assist with crowd control and to establish a quarantine area if required.

Two people wearing face masks were seen waiting for paramedics before escorting them into the building.

Paramedics later emerged with a man who was pictured getting into the back of an ambulance.

Queensland health tested a further six people across the state for the illness on Tuesday, all of which came back negative.

The test takes up to six hours to complete and the results of the latest patient are yet to be confirmed.

The Broadbeach division of the international hotel chain costs $911 a night for a penthouse suite with panoramic views of the ocean. The luxurious 4.5 star hotel is a hot-spot for celebrities, and is understood to have hosted popstar Taylor Swift and, then boyfriend, Tom Hiddleston in 2016.

In NSW, a family of four and six others who were being tested for coronavirus were on Tuesday morning cleared but six new cases are under investigation.

Parents and caregivers were asked to hold their children back from school if they had travelled to China in the past 14 days - the incubation period of the virus.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne issued a travel warning on Wednesday, advising Australians to stay away from Hubei

Medical staff are seen wearing protective clothing outside a hospital in Wuhan after the coronavirus outbreak

The deadly Chinese coronavirus outbreak began at the Huanan Seafood Wholesales Market in Wuhan (pictured), tests confirm

Members of the medical team of the Second Military Medical University pose for a group photo before entering the wards at Hankou Hospital in Wuhan

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the measure was voluntary and was taken to address worries expressed by the state's schools.

He said the government would have liked to have made the decision sooner.

There have been four confirmed cases of the potentially deadly virus in NSW.

A 21-year-old UNSW student became the fourth case in NSW and fifth in Australia after she tested positive on Monday.

The woman flew into Sydney Airport on Thursday on the last Australian-bound direct flight out of the central Chinese city of Wuhan.

The student and three men who previously tested positive are being treated at Sydney's Westmead Hospital.

All four people had either travelled to Wuhan or had contact with someone diagnosed with coronavirus in China.

Symptoms of the virus include fever, cough, sore throat and shortness of breath.

Aussie children who recently went to China are stopped from going to school Children who recently visited China are facing a delayed start to their school year as the NSW government moves to soothe classroom concerns over coronavirus infections. Parents in NSW have been asked to keep their kids at home when school returns if their children have been in China within the past 14 days. The federal education minister has chastised schools for suggesting students stay home, however NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the state was in a unique situation. The state government announced the decision on Tuesday evening as parents prepared for their children to return to school on Wednesday. 'Ideally we would have liked to have been in a position to have made this decision earlier. It is a very difficult decision,' Mr Hazzard said. Some schools had approached the state government to air concerns about the spread of coronavirus, Mr Hazzard said. NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the government was responding to these concerns by making the request to parents as a precaution. 'We know many in the community have wanted to see this and we are taking this step in line with community sentiment,' she said. 'We are doing everything we can, even though the risk is low, to ensure the safety of our children.' There have been four confirmed cases of the potentially-lethal coronavirus in NSW, and one further case confirmed in Victoria Advertisement

The outbreak has evoked memories of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003, another coronavirus which broke out in China and killed nearly 800 people in a global pandemic.

The deadly Chinese coronavirus outbreak began at a wholesale animal market in Wuhan city, experts confirmed.

Scientists from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said tests proved humans caught it from animals at the Huanan Seafood Wholesales Market.

It is not clear which animal was carrying the pneumonia-like illness but the market was home to stalls trading dozens of different species, including rats and wolf cubs.

The outbreak has even impacted the economy with Australian (ASX) shares plummeting by 1.7 per cent, wiping $36billion off the market amid fears the outbreak will reduce the number of tourists visiting from China.

The companies that suffered most were those that depend on tourism, travel and the Chinese economy.

China has already extended the Lunar New Year holiday to February 2 nationally, and to February 9 for Shanghai.