What Are Coronaviruses?

Corona means crown in Latin; the name was chosen because when the virus is examined under a microscope, you can see spikes on its surface. The medical term coronavirus describes a family of viruses. Coronaviruses are common in both animals and humans, and in rare cases they have spread from animals to humans.

Scientists have identified several coronaviruses that affect humans, including 229E, NL63, HKU1, and OC43, which cause mild to moderate upper respiratory symptoms that can include cough, fever, headache, runny nose, and sore throat. (While all are symptoms of a common cold, it may be interesting to know that the common colds can be caused by coronaviruses, rhinoviruses, and other types of viruses.) The four coronaviruses named above also have the potential to lead to more serious conditions, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, especially in people who have weakened immune systems or are otherwise at high risk.

Three coronaviruses have caused serious symptoms and even death in humans:

• SARS, a deadly virus that sickened more than 8,000 people and led to almost 800 deaths before it was contained in 2003, causes body aches, chills, and fever, and usually led to pneumonia while it was circulating.

• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), causes cough, fever, and shortness of breath, and also often leads to pneumonia. MERS initially surfaced in Saudi Arabia and continues to occur in that region.

• SARS-CoV-2 is the newest coronavirus, and health experts are still learning about how it causes COVID-19, which can lead to symptoms including cough, fever, and shortness of breath, and can cause pneumonia and even death in some cases. SARS-CoV-2 is the first coronavirus to be characterized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic.

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