What is Coronavirus, How Did it Start and Could the Outbreak Grow Bigger?
The new coronavirus (Covid-19) is spreading fast. More than 135,000 people are known to be infected and over 4,900 deaths have been recorded - including ten people in the UK who were diagnosed with the virus. The bulk of cases and fatalities have been confined to China, but the virus is spreading internationally. https://youtu.be/C14HnPtm1a0 What is a coronavirus? Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in animals. Seven, including the new virus, have made the jump to humans, but most just cause cold-like symptoms. Two other coronaviruses – Middle East respiratory syndrome (Mers) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) – are much more severe, having killed more than 1,500 people between them since 2002. How did the outbreak start? The source of the coronavirus is believed to be a "wet market" in Wuhan which sold both dead and live animals including fish and birds. Such markets pose a heightened risk of viruses jumping from animals to h...