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Jan 28, 2020 · Its official name is 2019-nCoV, and some experts think it first jumped to people in a seafood market that sold live animals in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.
- Overview
- What ’coronavirus‘ and ’COVID-19‘ mean
- How viruses get named
- Other coronaviruses
- COVID-19 vs. flu
- COVID-19 prevention
- The bottom line
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is part of a group of viruses known as coronaviruses. Hundreds of coronaviruses exist in animals, but only seven of these coronaviruses are known to cause illnesses in humans.
In fact, the illnesses that these coronaviruses cause play a huge role in how each of these viruses is named.
From a visual standpoint, coronaviruses have crown-like protrusions on their surface, and the Latin word for crown is “coronam.”
In this article, we will explore what coronaviruses are, how these viruses and their diseases are named, and other important facts you should know about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19.
Coronaviruses are a type of virus that cause upper respiratory tract illnesses in human beings. Most coronaviruses are transmitted to humans from animals, such as bats, pigs, or camels. While hundreds of different types of coronaviruses exist, only seven coronaviruses are known to cause diseases in humans.
In 2019, a new coronavirus was discovered to cause severe respiratory symptoms in humans. Due to its similarities with the previous coronavirus that was responsible for causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, this new coronavirus became known as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
SARS-CoV-2 is the coronavirus responsible for causing 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Since that time, COVID-19 has affected over 160 million people worldwide.
Viruses are officially named by an organization called the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). Every newly discovered virus receives an appropriate name according to a hierarchical taxonomy, which groups all organisms into various species, genera, family, and more.
Initially, the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 remained unnamed. However, the ICTV and WHO worked in tandem to give both the virus and the disease the official names we know today:
•The ICTV named the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 based on the fact that it is considered a “severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus.”
•The WHO named the new disease COVID-19, in which “CO” stands for corona, “VI” stands for virus, “D” stands for disease, and “-19” stands for 2019.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are seven different coronaviruses that have been known to cause illness in humans. Although these coronaviruses are similar, they are separated into either the alpha coronavirus or beta coronavirus subgroups.
Common human alpha coronaviruses include:
•229E
•NL63
Common human beta coronaviruses include:
•OC43
Although there have been some comparisons made between COVID-19 and the flu, they are two entirely separate illnesses.
Influenza, also known as the flu, is a viral respiratory illness caused by two influenza viruses: influenza A and influenza B. Influenza can cause mild to severe symptoms, which may include:
•fever
•chills
•body aches
•muscle aches
COVID-19 is an extremely contagious disease that spreads easily between people, so it’s important to practice good personal hygiene to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
Here are some of the ways that you can prevent the spread of COVID-19:
•Wear a mask. Wearing a mask is one of the most simple and effective ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Masks should fit snugly over the nose and mouth, and be made of tightly woven, breathable fabric with multiple layers.
•Wash your hands. Washing your hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds can kill the virus. If you can’t wash your hands, use hand sanitizer until you’re able to get to a handwashing station.
•Cover your coughs. Covering your coughs and sneezes is important to help prevent the spread of the virus through air particles. If a tissue is not available, you can use your arm or elbow instead.
•Clean and disinfect. Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces can kill SARS-CoV-2. Commonly used surfaces, such as doorknobs, countertops, and furniture, should be cleaned as often as possible.
“Coronavirus” is a catch-all term that is sometimes used to refer to either the newly discovered coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, or the disease it causes, COVID-19.
SARS-CoV-2 is one of seven coronaviruses that can cause respiratory illnesses in human beings. Although COVID-19 is similar in some ways to the flu, they are separate conditions, with different symptoms, caused by different viruses.
Description: On February 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced an official name for the disease that is causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, first identified in Wuhan, China. The new name of this disease is coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19.
Jun 12, 2021 · Businesses and social gatherings in Illinois are no longer subject to any COVID-related capacity limits as the state enters the long-awaited “Phase Five” of Gov. JB Pritzker’s “Restore Illinois” economic reopening plan on Friday. Fifteen months after COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, here's the virus' impact on Illinois by the numbers.
- Hannah Meisel
This name was chosen because the virus is genetically related to the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak of 2003. While related, the two viruses are different. WHO announced “COVID-19” as the name of this new disease on 11 February 2020, following guidelines previously developed with the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE ...
Jan 8, 2021 · Here is what you need to know about the coronavirus in Illinois, what you can do to stop it from spreading, and what steps state and local governments have or have not taken in response.
Feb 11, 2020 · O n Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an official name for the new coronavirus disease: COVID-19 — making sure not to reference Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the...
