What is a novel coronavirus?

What is a novel coronavirus?

•Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause a wide range of illness from the common cold to more severe diseases

•i.e., Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS] and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS]

•A novel coronavirus (nCoV) is a new strain that has not been previously identified in humans.

 •Coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that cause a wide range of illness from the common cold to more severe diseases. They are often zoonotic.

•I.e., Middle East Respiratory Syndrome [MERS] and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome [SARS]

•Several known coronaviruses are circulating in animals that have not yet infected humans.

•On 31 December 2019, the WHO China Country Office was informed of pneumonia cases of unknown cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China.A novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was isolated and identifiedas the causative virus by Chinese authorities on 7 January.

Ref: WHO website