What Do We Know About Coronaviruses?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses - some cause illness in people, and others only infect animals.

Some coronaviruses infect animals then spread to people, and then spread person to person such as:

• Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Common coronaviruses include some that cause mild upper-respiratory illnesses, like the common cold.

Coronaviruses have a crown-like appearance under the microscope