2019年12月份中国发生多起肺炎病例，调查显示是有一种之前不知道的病毒的引起的--现在被命名为2019新型冠装病毒。
In December 2019, there was a cluster of pneumonia¹ cases in China. Investigations² found that it was caused by a previously³ unknown virus – now named the 2019 Novel Coronavirus. We’ll take a quick look at what’s currently known about the virus. Keep in mind that this is a new virus and what’s known about the virus now might change in the future.

 

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses. They consist of a core of genetic⁴ material surrounded by an envelope with protein spikes⁵. This gives it the appearance of a crown. Crown in Latin is called “corona” and that’s how these viruses get their name.

 

There are different types of coronaviruses that cause respiratory and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms. Respiratory disease can range from the common cold to pneumonia. And in most people, the symptoms tend to be mild. However, there are some types of coronaviruses that can cause severe disease. These include the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome⁶ coronavirus first identified in China in 2003 and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

 

The 2019 Novel Coronavirus was first identified in China. It initially⁷ occurred in a group of people with pneumonia who’d been associated with a seafood⁸ and live animal market in the city of Wuhan. The disease has since spread from those who were sick to others, including family members and health care staff. There are many cases at present and the disease has spread within China and also to a number of other countries.

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