On 31 December 2019, WHO was informed of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of unknown cause detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China, and now no one must not know Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. But in fact, a coronavirus was the first described in detail in the 1960s. The coronavirus gets its name from a distinctive corona or 'crown' of sugary-proteins that projects from the envelope surrounding the particle. Encoding the virus's make-up is the longest genome of any RNA-based virus – a single strand of nucleic acid roughly 26,000 to 32,000 bases long.
Coronaviruses are a family of viruses known for containing strains that cause potentially deadly diseases in mammals and birds. In humans they're typically spread via airborne droplets of fluid produced by infected individuals.
Some rare but notable strains, including SARS-CoV-2 (responsible for COVID-19), and those responsible for severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), can cause death in humans.
There are four known genuses in the family, named Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus, Gammacoronavirus, and Deltacoronavirus. The first two only infect mammals, including bats, pigs, cats, and humans. Gammacoronavirus mostly infects birds such as poultry, while Deltacoronavirus can infect both birds and mammals.
SARS-CoV-2 was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan in 2019. At the time of writing, numbers of infected are still on the rise, with a mortality rate of around 1 percent.
Snakes were originally suspected as a potential source for the outbreak, though other experts have deemed this unlikely and proposed bats instead. As of February 2020, the search for the animal origin of COVID-19 is ongoing.
Fortunately, you can take action to protect yourself and your family from contracting the infection. Simple things like staying home whenever possible, avoiding sick people, washing your hands often, and disinfecting high-touch surfaces can help you stay well.
Covid-19 Coronavirus outbreak Live update
The United States
Canada
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West and Central African countries
Benin: 95 36 11 07, or 51 02 00 00, or 51 04 00 00 | CDC Hotline - 95 36 1104 or 95 36 11 02
Burkina Faso: 35 35 | CDC Hotline - 61 63 63 99 or 52 19 53 94
Cameroon: 1510 | CDC Hotline - 677 899 369 or 677 894 364 or 677 897 644 or 677 900 157
Cape Verde: 800 11 12
Central African Republic: 1212 | CDC Hotline - 72 28 71 53 or 75 23 33 90
Chad: 1313
Republic of Congo: 1414 or 1400
Democratic Republic of Congo: CDC Hotline - 854 463 582 or 841 363 267
Cote d'Ivoire: 144 or 143 or 101 or text 'CORONA' to 1366
Equatorial Guinea: 1111
Gabon: 1410
The Gambia: 1025
Ghana: CDC Hotline - 509 497 700 or 552 222 004 or 552 222 005 or 558 439 868
Guinea: CDC Hotline - 629 995 656
Guinea-Bissau: 1919 (MTN) or 2020 (Orange) or 966 050 002 (COES)
Liberia: 4455
Mali: 36061
Mauritania: 1155
Niger: 15
Nigeria: CDC Hotline - 800 9700 0010
Senegal: 78 172 10 81 or 76 765 97 31 or 70 717 14 92 | CDC Hotline - 800 00 50 50
Sierra Leone: 117
Togo: CDC Hotline - 22 222 073 or 91 674 242
The first results from human trials of Moderna's RNA vaccine against Covid-19 have given hopes after the positive results in a group of eight volunteers.
These results showed that each of the participants produced an antibody response on a par with that seen in people who have had the disease, and that the vaccine is safe for use in humans.
Not only did the vaccine lead to the creation of antibodies in eight human test subjects, but the vaccine also kept the virus that causes Covid-19 from replicating in the lungs of mice.
In the US study, run by the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, all eight volunteers made neutralising antibodies which were tested in human cells in the lab and stopped the virus from replicating. The higher the vaccine dose, the more antibodies the volunteer produced.
However, as with antibody tests, there will still be questions over whether this response is enough to prevent people from being infected by the virus. This approach does not stimulate another arm of the immune response, from the T-cells. It is also not known whether an antibody response will last.
Moderna has so far only released results for the youngest group of volunteers. It intends to press ahead to the next stage of human trials involving 600 people shortly, with a much bigger trial involving thousands set to begin in July.