Facts You Need to Know About the Novel Coronavirus and Tips To Stay Safe From COVID-19

It may seem like every time you check social media there are more and more reports of the coronavirus spreading throughout the world. Although it hasn’t been described as a pandemic (worldwide spread of a new disease), the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a global health emergency.

But what exactly are the facts on the novel coronavirus and what can we do to protect ourselves from it?

What is the Novel Coronavirus?

The coronavirus is an acute virus that affects the respiratory system. The term “novel” simply means that it’s new and that experts have never seen this particular virus before.

How Did it Start?

The virus originated from a wet market in the city, Wuhan in China. Wet markets put humans in close contact with live and dead animals such as chickens, pigs, snakes, bats and civets. This made it easy for zoonotic diseases to pass from animals to humans.

Why is it Called “Coronavirus?”

The term “corona” comes from the Latin word meaning “crown” which refers to the virus’ crown-head appearance with spikes sticking up. The coronavirus simply refers to the family of viruses that it’s associated with.

We’ve had three coronaviruses in three decades that have known to cause severe infections; SARS, MERS and the current COVID-19.

What is COVID-19?

As “coronavirus” is the name given to the family of viruses with a crown-like head, COVID-19 is the name given to the virus itself. The name “COVID-19” was announced on February 11th, 2020 by the World Health Organization.