The 2019 Novel Coronavirus is rapidly spreading COVID-19 worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Coronaviruses (CoV) belong to a large family of viruses that cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Coronaviruses are zoonotic which means they are transmitted between animals and people.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by a new strain detected in December 2019 which has not been previously identified in humans. Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, infection can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
For more information on the 2019 Novel Coronavirus and COVID-19 visit Johns Hopkins Medicine website:
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/coronavirus