I. Basic Information

1. What is coronavirus?

Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that widely exist in the nature. The name refers to its characteristic crown-like morphology by electron microscopy. Coronavirus belongs to the genus Coronavirus, the family Coronaviridae, and the order Nidovirales. Its genome size is the largest among known RNA viruses. So far, coronavirus is only found to infect vertebrates, causing respiratory, digestive and nervous system diseases in humans and animals.