

On 31 December 2019, Chinese authorities notified the WHO of an outbreak of viral pneumonia in Wuhan City. Coronaviruses can jump from one species to another. A study published in Nature suggests that the novel coronavirus, now named Covid-19, originated in bats. It is possible that humans first picked up the virus in a meat market. What are the symptoms? Most people who get the virus will have only symptoms similar to winter flu, but a small proportion, often the elderly, will develop pneumonia . The symptoms of the virus can include dry cough, fever and fatigue. How dangerous is it? The mortality rate is not accurately known yet but based on the available data it is probably around 1-2%. Source: Science Media Centre