Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. In humans, the viruses cause respiratory infections which are typically mild including the common cold but rarer forms like SARS and MERS can be lethal. In cows and pigs they may cause diarrhea, while in chickens they can cause an upper respiratory disease. There are no vaccines or antiviral drugs that are approved for prevention or treatment.

Coronaviruses are viruses in the subfamily Orthocoronavirinae in the family Coronaviridae, in the order Nidovirales.[4][5] Coronaviruses are enveloped viruses with a positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome and with a nucleocapsid of helical symmetry. The genomic size of coronaviruses ranges from approximately 26 to 32 kilobases, the largest for an RNA virus.


China's deadly coronavirus is becoming more infectious and carriers of the disease can pass it on even if they show no symptoms, China’s National Health Commission warned on Sunday.

Nearly 2,000 people in China have been infected and 56 killed by the disease, which originated in the city of Wuhan. Cases have now been reported across the globe, including in Thailand, Australia, the United States and France.

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