New Coronavirus: What We Know

What is a coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause disease¹ in mammals and birds. Coronaviruses can cause illnesses that range from the common cold to much more severe illnesses like Middle East Respiratory Syndrome² (MERS) and Severe Acute³ Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Experts still do not have a clear picture of the severity of the new coronavirus.

What is a new coronavirus?

Officials are calling the disease a "novel" or new coronavirus because it has not been found before in humans.

The newly⁴ identified virus is thought to have spread to humans from wild animals sold at a market in Wuhan, in central China's Hubei province. But it is now spreading between people.

Chinese officials say the disease is able to spread from one person to another even before any actual signs appear. This makes it especially hard to contain.

What are the signs of the new coronavirus?

Signs of the disease among infected patients have included fever, cough, shortness of breath and general breathing difficulties. In more severe cases, the virus can cause pneumonia⁵.

Some people report few or no signs, while others have gotten very sick or even died.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that signs of the virus may appear between two and 14 days after being near someone who is infected.

Treatment and Prevention

There is no special treatment for the new coronavirus. However, many of its effects are treatable, as long as a patient is in fair health.

Because the virus is so new among humans, there is no available vaccine⁶ to protect against the disease. But the World Health Organization advises people to avoid close contact with anyone showing signs of a breathing sickness, such as coughing or sneezing. It also says people should wash their hands often and use safe food practices.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control also published prevention tips. It says wash your hands for at least 20 seconds with soap and water; avoid touching⁷ your face with unwashed hands; stay home when you are sick; and clean objects and surfaces that are touched often.

Words in This Story

mammal - n. a type of animal that feeds milk to its young and that usually has hair or fur covering most of its skin

pneumonia - n. a serious disease that affects the lungs and makes it difficult to breathe

practice - n. the action of doing or using something

tip - n. a piece of advice or useful information

1 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

2 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

3 acute   

adj.严重的，激烈的，敏锐的，急性的，尖的

参考例句：

• A period of acute depression can sometimes follow childbirth.分娩之后可能会有一段时间的急性抑郁期。
• The publication comes as the answer to an acute demand.这一出版物是为满足急需而出版的。

4 newly   

adv.新近，最近；重新，再度；以新的方式

参考例句：

• Have you reviewed for this newly published novel?你给这本新出版的小说写书评了吗？
• It is a newly planted tree and it has not established yet.这是一颗新栽的树，还没有扎下根来。

5 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

6 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

7 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。