Fears rise as COVID-19 cases, deaths hit new high

Fears rise as COVID-19 cases, deaths hit new high

Part of: GS Prelims – Health   and GS Mains II- Health

In news:

• The number of countries hit by the COVID-19 outbreak climbed past 60

Coronavirus

• Coronaviruses are a specific family of viruses, with some of them causing less-severe damage, such as the common cold, and others causing respiratory and intestinal diseases.
• A coronavirus has many “regularly arranged” protrusions on its surface, because of which the entire virus particle looks like an emperor’s crown, hence the name “coronavirus”.
• Apart from human beings, coronaviruses can affect mammals including pigs, cattle, cats, dogs, martens, camels, hedgehogs and some birds.
• So far, there are four known disease-causing coronaviruses, among which the best known are the SARS coronavirus and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, both of which can cause severe respiratory diseases.

Daily Current Affairs IAS | UPSC Prelims and Mains Exam – 2nd March 2020

SRC: BBC