Coronavirus
- Protect Our Public Health
- Mar 8, 2020
- 1 min read
Updated: May 20, 2020
The novel coronavirus is a respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).
On January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concernexternal icon” (PHEIC).
The SARS-CoV-2 virus is a betacoronavirus, like MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, which are members of the same family of viruses. All three of these viruses have their origins in bats and have spread to people. Person-to-person spread has been reported outside China, including in the United States.
Symptoms include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The CDC believes that symptoms appear between 2 and 14 days after exposure. COVID-19 is particularly dangerous for people with compromised immune symptoms, including the young and old. It is highly likely that this outbreak will become a pandemic.
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