The coronavirus is a large family of viruses that causes illnesses ranging from the common cold to acute respiratory syndromes.   | Photo Credit: AP

The coronavirus outbreak came to light when on December 31, 2019, China informed the World Health Organization of a cluster of cases of pneumonia of an unknown cause in Wuhan City in Hubei province. On January 9, 2020, WHO issued a statement saying Chinese researchers have made “preliminary determination” of the virus as a novel coronavirus.

Since then the thousands of cases of the novel coronavirus have been reported from all the 31 provinces in China. The number of deaths due to the novel coronavirus now stands at 170. Cases have been reported from 15 countries, including India. The novel coronavirus has acquired the ability to spread among humans, with cases of human-to-human transmissions being reported first in Vietnam and Germany.  

Coronavirus symptoms can include fever, cough and shortness of breath. The illness also causes lung lesions and pneumonia. Milder cases may resemble the flu or a bad cold, making detection difficult. Chinese researchers have shared the whole genome sequence of the novel coronavirus, however apart from some basic details, not much is known about the virus in terms of its source, precise duration of incubation, severity, and what makes it quite easily transmissible. 

Here are some of the major stories regarding the outbreak: 

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