Coronavirus: Decoding Covid-19

Scientists have identified more than 200 types of coronaviruses, seven of which are known to affect humans. Four of these coronaviruses are endemic respiratory viruses which cause 15-30 per cent of the common colds people experience each year. Covid-19 is caused by a deadly new type of coronavirus that has spread to the point of becoming a global pandemic, infecting 771,104 people and taking 36,944 lives as of March 31, 2020. Here are some more facts about the coronavirus officially known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which was first detected in December 2019 in the central Chinese city of Wuhan.