Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that are responsible for different illnesses, including the common cold. The latest outbreak started in an animal in China and was then transmitted to humans.

The current outbreak is a new strain of coronavirus called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and has not been previously diagnosed in humans. SARS-CoV-2 infects humans to cause coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19.