Researchers have identified a new coronavirus from samples taken from patients hospitalised in Sarawak and believe it to be in the early stages of making the jump from animal hosts to humans.

The swab samples were collected several years ago, but the presence of the new virus was only recently detected through new testing.

However, there is still no proof on whether the virus can be passed from human to human or whether it is capable of causing human diseases. The researchers argued that more study is needed.

“If confirmed as a pathogen, it may represent the eighth unique coronavirus known to cause disease in humans...