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What We Know | Biology & Evolution (UCSD video) |
Covid-19 or SARS-CoV-2 | Anatomy of the Virus (SALK infographic) |
According to MedlinePlus, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which used to be called the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV), is a new type of coronavirus. It causes respiratory illness in people. It was first identified in Wuhan, China.
COVID-19 can spread from person to person. This usually happens through respiratory droplets - when someone with the virus coughs or sneezes, and you breathe it in. Most often, you need to be close to the person (within 6 feet) for it to spread this way. It might be possible to get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching your own mouth, nose, or eyes.
There are now cases of COVID-19 in the United States and evidence of community transmission. On March 11, 2020, the director of the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic.
COVID-19 can cause respiratory illness that ranges from mild to severe or even deadly. The symptoms usually start between 2 to 14 days after you get infected, but it is possible to transmit the virus before symptoms have appeared.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) the name for the disease people experience is coronavirus disease or COVID-19 and the virus itself is called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 or SARS-CoV-2. HIV & AIDS are an example of a virus and the disease it causes.
KidsHealth Website has a couple of helpful resources explaining coronavirus for kids as well as for parents and teachers who might need help explaining it.