What is SARS-CoV-2?
SARS-CoV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2) is a virus. It is a member of the coronavirus family. This group of viruses includes dangerous pathogens capable of causing very severe disease, such as the virus SARS-CoV-1, which caused a major SARS outbreak in 2002 – 2004, and Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus (MERS-CoV), which was first reported in an outbreak in 2012. It also includes more benign viruses, including coronaviruses that are common causes of human respiratory infections such as the common cold. SARS-CoV-2 was first detected in an outbreak in China in late 2019, and the disease it causes was therefore named Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19, or COVID). Since then it has evolved to spread efficiently in humans, causing a pandemic that continues to shape our world.
(http://www.scientart.com/) in collaboration with Ed Hutchinson