COVID-19 and Lessons to be Learned from Prior Coronavirus Outbreaks

Abstract

Coronaviruses are large RNA viruses that are endemic among bats globally. These bat viruses are known to readily recombine and present an ever-present potential to jump host species, allowing for emergence into novel hosts.[1] Four seasonal human coronaviruses (hCoV) circulate yearly as mild “common cold” viruses causing upper respiratory symptoms: OC43, HKU1, NL63, and 229E. Additionally, three novel coronaviruses have emerged as zoonotic human infections in the past 17 years. SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and the 2019 novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)[2] have each been associated with lower respiratory symptoms, progressing in a subset of individuals to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death.