On December 31, 2019, health officials reported to the WHO China Country Office cases of pneumonia of unknown etiology detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.

However, the third of the highly pathogenic emergent CoVs proved to be different. (34)ĭespite the concerns raised by SARS-CoV and MES-CoV, both viruses failed to establish efficient transmission in the human population.

(34) Whereas there have been no reported SARS cases anywhere in the world since late 2004, (35) MERS-CoV is still actively circulating in the Middle East. (5,33) MERS-CoV has been reported in 27 countries to date, mainly in the Middle East region, resulting in more than 2500 laboratory-confirmed cases and 927 deaths, with a mortality rate of 35%. (4,32) In 2012, a novel betacoronavirus called Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) was first identified in a Saudi Arabian patient suffering from a severe respiratory disease that was later named Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). (3,31) The virus rapidly spread to more than 27 countries, resulting in more than 8000 human infections and 774 deaths between 20, with a lethality rate of approximately 10%. In 2002, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) emerged in Guangdong Province, China, and caused a disease with the same name. (30) In addition to these four endemic CoVs, three highly pathogenic respiratory betacoronaviruses have emerged from bats and caused severe outbreaks in humans during the 21st century.

(28,29) These CoVs are considered to be of low pathogenicity, with infection typically resulting in mild or moderate symptoms in immunocompetent individuals. Later, the coronaviruses NL63 and HKU1 were first identified in 20, respectively, and have been added to the spectrum of viruses that cause the common cold. We also discuss selected key discoveries from each topic and underline the gaps of knowledge for future investigations.įor approximately 40 years, no additional coronaviruses capable of infecting humans had been described. Here we provide an overview of the state of the art of knowledge gained in the last 2 years about the virus and COVID-19, including its origin and natural reservoir hosts, viral etiology, epidemiology, modes of transmission, clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, emerging variants, and vaccines, highlighting important differences from previously known highly pathogenic coronaviruses. The crisis caused by COVID-19 has mobilized scientists and public health authorities across the world to rapidly improve our knowledge about this devastating disease, shedding light on its management and control, and spawned the development of new countermeasures. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a highly transmissible and virulent human-infecting coronavirus that emerged in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, causing a respiratory disease called coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which has massively impacted global public health and caused widespread disruption to daily life.

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