The National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan recently announced that the novel coronavirus that has spread rapidly in the country since March is most likely to have been brought over from Europe and America, as reported by some Japanese media.

(Photo/National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan)

The Japanese institute reached this conclusion after comparing the genetic features of 560 pneumonia patients in Japan with those of about 4,500 cases from all over the world.

According to the research institute, the analysis suggests that the latest virus detected in Japan is more similar to that in European countries than in Wuhan, China.

The institute also told media that it is predicted that the virus will mutate every 14 days on average.

It was also reported that the virus that is rampant in the East Coast of the U.S. and European countries like Italy, Spain, France and England is more harmful.

The National Institute of Infectious Diseases in Japan, formerly known as the National Institute of Health that was established in 1947, is an authoritative institution in the country for the research, monitoring and prevention of infectious diseases. It has been studying the connection between the novel coronavirus in Japan and that in other countries.