| |
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that usually effect the respiratory tract in birds and animals, including, cats, dogs, rodents, pigs, cattle and humans.
In 1960 researchers first discovered a coronavirus that will affect humans, this version, human coronavirus or HCoV is one that is responsible for most common colds and more serious diseases are not that common, until the recent outbreak (2020) of COVID-19.
There are 3 new variations of the coronavirus that have been discovered in recent years, these include:
SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome).
A serious and sometimes fatal variant of the coronavirus that was discovered in China in 2002 and spread globally.
MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).
A severe illness that affected the respiratory process. MERS spread to several other countries around the world although all cases were linked directly to traveling to the Middle East.
COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019).
Discovered in late 2019 in Wuhan City, China. This variation of the virus has spread to several countries including Italy, The United States, The United Kingdom, Australia and Ireland.