What Exactly Is the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?

What is it?

• The novel coronavirus, officially dubbed SARS-CoV-2, originated in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease it causes has been given the name “coronavirus disease 2019” or “COVID-19.”

"Corona" means "crown" in Latin. Coronavirus' get their name from the crown-like spikes surrounding them, as seen above.

So it's new?

• As the “novel” in its name indicates, this is a new disease. However, coronaviruses as a virus family aren’t new at all: they’re common in people and many animal species, including camels, cattle, cats, and bats.
• The coronavirus family also includes pneumonia, and the common cold.
• Cases of animal coronaviruses infecting people and then spreading between humans have also occurred in the past, including SARS and MERS.

—Lorelei Yang & Josh Herman