Corona against economic

What is corona?

A novel respiratory virus that originated in Wuhan, China, has spread to more than 60 countries in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, leaving many experts to fear a pandemic may be on the way.

So far, most of those infected with the virus have been in China. Most of the deaths have been there, as well. But last week, the number of new cases reported outside China exceeded the number reported within the country.

South Korea, Iran and Italy are coping with significant outbreaks. At least three cases in the United States cannot be traced to the usual risk factors, and experts fear the virus may now be circulating in some communities.

The first death from the infection was reported on Saturday: a man who lived near Seattle. A model produced by infectious disease experts hints that the coronavirus may already have infected up to 1,500 people in the area.

Much remains unknown about the virus, including how many people may have very mild or asymptomatic infections, and whether they can transmit the virus. The precise dimensions In the United States, there are more than 70 coronavirus cases in isolation, but the risk to most Americans is still low.

Here’s what scientists have learned so far about the coronavirus and the outbreak.

of the outbreak are hard to know.

What is a coronavirus?

An illustration released by the Centers of Disease Control showing the coronavirus, including its characteristic spikes on the outside of the virus, from which it gets its name.Credit...Lizabeth Menzies/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

At least four types of coronaviruses cause very mild infections every year, like the common cold. Most people get infected with one or more of these viruses at some point in their lives.

Another coronavirus that circulated in China in 2003 caused a more dangerous condition known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS. The virus was contained after it had sickened 8,098 people and killed 774.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS, first reported in Saudi Arabia in 2012, is also caused by a coronavirus.

The new virus has been named SARS-CoV-2. The disease it causes is called Covid-19.