COVID-19: The first documented coronavirus pandemic in history

Yen-Chin Liu; Rei-Lin Kuo; Shin-Ru Shih

Biomedical Journal (Aug 2020)

COVID-19: The first documented coronavirus pandemic in history

Yen-Chin Liu,
Rei-Lin Kuo,
Shin-Ru Shih

Affiliations

Yen-Chin Liu: The Research Center for Emerging Viral Infection, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Rei-Lin Kuo: The Research Center for Emerging Viral Infection, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Division of Allergy, Asthma, and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan
Shin-Ru Shih: The Research Center for Emerging Viral Infection, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Department of Medical Biotechnology and Laboratory Science, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Clinical Virology Laboratory, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital at Linkou, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Research Center for Chinese Herbal Medicine, Research Center for Food and Cosmetic Safety, Graduate Institute of Health Industry Technology, College of Human Ecology, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Corresponding author. Research Center for Emerging Viral Infections, Chang Gung University, 259 Wenhua 1st Rd, Gueishan, Tao-Yuan 333, Taiwan.

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 43, no. 4
pp. 328 – 333

Abstract

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The novel human coronavirus disease COVID-19 has become the fifth documented pandemic since the 1918 flu pandemic. COVID-19 was first reported in Wuhan, China, and subsequently spread worldwide. The coronavirus was officially named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses based on phylogenetic analysis. SARS-CoV-2 is believed to be a spillover of an animal coronavirus and later adapted the ability of human-to-human transmission. Because the virus is highly contagious, it rapidly spreads and continuously evolves in the human population. In this review article, we discuss the basic properties, potential origin, and evolution of the novel human coronavirus. These factors may be critical for studies of pathogenicity, antiviral designs, and vaccine development against the virus.

Published in Biomedical Journal

ISSN: 2319-4170 (Print); 2320-2890 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General); Science: Biology (General)
Website: https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/biomedical-journal

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