What is a coronavirus in humans?

There are coronaviruses in humans and there are coronaviruses in animals. This novel coronavirus identified as COVID-19 is believed to have transferred from animal to human. This particular virus was found to have originated from a wet market in Wuhan City, China. The said market was known to slaughter exotic animals for food. 

In humans, the coronavirus is a respiratory illness. It was first discovered in late 2019 and has since become a pandemic affecting 109 countries with 111,645 (and counting) cases recorded. It has claimed the lives of 3,884 people with a great majority of whom came from the source country. China recorded 3,120 deaths from the virus. 

COVID-19 is not the same as the coronaviruses that are common among humans: 229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. The COVID-19 is caused by a new strain referred to as SARS-CoV 2. 

The virus is said to spread from one person to another within around six feet. So if a person has COVID-19 and they cough or sneeze, the respiratory droplets may be inhaled by the surrounding people. This is why it is proper etiquette for people to cover their mouth and nose when they cough or sneeze. And this is why it is also highly recommended for people to wash their hands regularly. People are considered to be their most contagious when they are the sickest. 

It is also believed that even when people are not showing symptoms, they could still pass on the disease to others. This is why government is tracking the people who may have come in contact with COVID-19 patients within 14 days.