COVID-19: a fast evolving pandemic

Abstract

the World Health Organization (WHO) office in China received a report of 29 pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology in Wuhan city in Hubei province, central China. Within 1 week it became clear that the initial cases were associated with a seafood market where live poultry and wild animals were also sold. The virus was quickly identified as a novel beta-coronavirus and the genetic sequence was shared on 12 January 2020. The infection is now officially termed COVID-19 and the virus SARS-CoV-2. News of this outbreak gave many public health officials an involuntary shudder as they recalled the parallels with the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that arose in China in November 2002. That outbreak was also caused by a novel coronavirus spilling over from an animal reservoir and transmitted by respiratory droplets. SARS spread to many parts of the world through international air travel, caused more than 8000 cases and 774 deaths and cost in the region US$20 billion to control.