The Coronavirus

If you were to read the news today, it would be hard to avoid a story on the new coronavirus. According to a study on the source of this sickness, it is caused by a novel coronavirus pathogen that was identified in 2019, leading it to be named 2019-nCoV. According to the CDC, this virus originated in the Wuhan Hubei Province of China. As of late January (1/26/2020) more than 2,000 people had been infected with the virus. But where did this virus come from and how did humans start spreading it?

In a study of 9 patients with 2019-nCoV, 8 were found to have visited the same seafood market. Indeed, it is thought that these people likely contracted the disease from an animal being sold there. This same study sequenced full and partial genomes of the virus from the 9 patients, and found an approximate 99% similarity between the genomes of the virus within each patient. This similarity indicates a lack of mutation in the virus, leading the researchers to believe that the virus had moved to humans only recently. Additionally, the virus found in these patients was 88% similar to two other bat-derived coronaviruses, leading the researchers to conclude it came from bats. However, it is believed that the virus was spread through an intermediary animal that was being sold in the seafood market that the patients had shopped at.

According to the CDC, there have been cases of the 2019-nCoV in the US. This has led many people to start worrying about contracting it. What do these people need to know about this virus? According to the CDC, this new coronavirus is not the same as the type of coronavirus that causes the common cold. Additionally, it is spread person-to-person, but it is not yet known exactly how contagious it is. This virus leads to symptoms similar to a respiratory illness and also causes a fever. If a person were to display these symptoms within 14 days of traveling to China, they should immediately check with their doctor. Finally, since there is no vaccine for this virus, the CDC recommends avoiding contact with this virus by methods such as hand-washing and not touching one’s face.