Recent information about the novel corona virus
Here we provide recent information about the novel Corona virus SARS-CoV-2.
At the end of December 2019 the first cases of an until then unknow lung disease occured in the metropolitan city of Wuhan in the Chinese province Hubei. Quickly a coronavirus was identified as the causative agent, which was then termed nCov-2019 (novel Corona virus 2019). In the meantime, it received the official name SARS-CoV-2 (Severe acute respiratory syndrome 2) and the disease it causes is now called COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 19). On 30 January 2020 the World Health Organisation WHO declared the epidemic a global health emergency due to the rapid international spread of the virus, since 11 March it is considered a pandemic.
To date (21. July 2020, source: World Health Organization (WHO)), the number of infected people worldwide has increased to over 18 million. More than 695,000 people have died from the virus.