Why coronavirus anyway?

Why coronavirus anyway?

Coronaviruses are a large group of viruses that usually cause mild to moderate diseases of the upper respiratory tract, such as the common cold. However, three new coronary ceramics have emerged from animal tanks over the past two decades, causing serious and widespread disease and death.

There are hundreds of coronavirus, most of them spread among animals such as pigs, camels, bats, and cats. Sometimes these viruses jump to humans - called an indirect event - and can cause illness. Four of the seven known coronaviruses that cause people's illnesses to cause only mild to moderate diseases.

It can cause three more serious, even fatal diseases.
The SARS virus appeared in November 2002 and caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
 This virus disappeared by 2004.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is caused by Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
The coronavirus that causes transmission of the virus from an animal reservoir was identified in camels in September 2012 and still causes sporadic and local outbreaks.
The third new coronavirus that appeared in this century is called SARS CoV-2.
 It caused coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), which emerged from China in December 2019 and announced a global pandemic on March 11, 2020.
Building on previous research on SARS and respiratory syndrome in the Middle East, award-winning NIAID scientists are in a position to develop a rapid diagnosis, treatment, and vaccines for COVID-19.
 These projects involve conducting basic research to understand how the virus infects cells and causes disease, and what interventions can prevent and stop the spread of the disease.
In fact, within two weeks of COVID-19 being discovered, NIAID researchers have determined how the virus enters cells. Within two months, the trial sites began for the first stage of treatment (reassignment) and the vaccine (mRNA-1273).

Why is coronaviruses a priority for NI-AID?

After the SARS out of China in November 2002, the disease spread to 26 countries within a few months, largely by infected passengers who traveled. More than 8,000 people became ill and 774 died. SARS has attracted the collective focus of researchers around the world.
The disease disappeared in 2004, most likely due to extensive contact tracing and case isolation procedures.
In September 2012, a new coronavirus was identified in the Middle East, causing a disease similar to SARS. Once again, researchers at NIAID and around the world have begun studies to understand Coronavirus and how to stop it.
Research efforts from these two outbreaks - including the development of a SARS vaccine candidate by the NIAID Vaccine Research Center - have prepared scientists to quickly assess the severity and potential of SARS-CoV-2, and develop countermeasures.

How does NIAID tackle this critical issue?

When Middle East respiratory syndrome arose in 2012 and COVID-19 was identified in 2020, scientists quickly mobilized NIAID in and out of the body to study viruses, and efforts are still ongoing today. Key research areas include basic research on its origins, how it causes disease, the development of animal study models, new therapies, and vaccines.