COVID-19

=== Virology ===
{{Main|SARS-CoV-2}}[[File:Coronavirus virion structure.svg|thumb|Illustration of [[SARSr-CoV]] [[Virus|virion]]]]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus{{spaces}}2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a [[novel virus|novel]] severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus. It was first isolated from three people with pneumonia connected to the [[Disease cluster|cluster]] of acute respiratory illness cases in Wuhan.<ref name="ECDC risk assessment">{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/sites/default/files/documents/SARS-CoV-2-risk-assessment-14-feb-2020.pdf |title=Outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): increased transmission beyond China – fourth update |publisher=European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control |date=14 February 2020 |access-date=8 March 2020}}</ref> All structural features of the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus particle occur in related [[coronavirus]]es in nature,<ref name="NM-20200317" /> particularly in ''[[Rhinolophus sinicus]]'' aka Chinese horseshoe bats.<ref name="zhou20">{{#invoke:cite journal ||doi=10.1038/s41586-020-2012-7|title=A pneumonia outbreak associated with a new coronavirus of probable bat origin |year=2020 |last1=Zhou |first1=Peng |last2=Yang |first2=Xing-Lou |last3=Wang |first3=Xian-Guang |last4=Hu |first4=Ben |last5=Zhang |first5=Lei |last6=Zhang |first6=Wei |last7=Si |first7=Hao-Rui |last8=Zhu |first8=Yan |last9=Li |first9=Bei |last10=Huang |first10=Chao-Lin |last11=Chen |first11=Hui-Dong |last12=Chen |first12=Jing |last13=Luo |first13=Yun |last14=Guo |first14=Hua |last15=Jiang |first15=Ren-Di |last16=Liu |first16=Mei-Qin |last17=Chen |first17=Ying |last18=Shen |first18=Xu-Rui |last19=Wang |first19=Xi |last20=Zheng |first20=Xiao-Shuang |last21=Zhao |first21=Kai |last22=Chen |first22=Quan-Jiao |last23=Deng |first23=Fei |last24=Liu |first24=Lin-Lin |last25=Yan |first25=Bing |last26=Zhan |first26=Fa-Xian |last27=Wang |first27=Yan-Yi |last28=Xiao |first28=Geng-Fu |last29=Shi |first29=Zheng-Li |journal=Nature |volume=579 |issue=7798 |pages=270–273 |pmid=32015507 |pmc=7095418 |bibcode=2020Natur.579..270Z }}</ref>

Outside the human body, the virus is destroyed by household soap which bursts its [[Viral envelope|protective bubble]].<ref name="NatGeoSoap">{{#invoke:Cite web||url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/why-soap-preferable-bleach-fight-against-coronavirus/ |vauthors=Gibbens S |title=Why soap is preferable to bleach in the fight against coronavirus |date=18 March 2020 |website=[[National Geographic]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402001042/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/03/why-soap-preferable-bleach-fight-against-coronavirus/ |archive-date=2 April 2020 |access-date=2 April 2020}}</ref> Hospital disinfectants, alcohols, heat, [[povidone-iodine]], and [[Ultraviolet|ultraviolet-C]] (UV-C) irradiation are also effective disinfection methods for surfaces.<ref>{{#invoke:cite journal ||last1=Viana Martins |first1=C. P. |last2=Xavier |first2=C. S. F. |last3=Cobrado |first3=L. |date=2022 |title=Disinfection methods against SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review |url= |journal=The Journal of Hospital Infection |volume=119 |pages=84–117 |doi=10.1016/j.jhin.2021.07.014 |issn=1532-2939 |pmc=8522489 |pmid=34673114}}</ref>

SARS-CoV-2 is closely related to the original [[SARS-CoV]].<ref name="Zhu24Jan2020">{{#invoke:cite journal ||vauthors=Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, Zhao X, Huang B, Shi W, Lu R, Niu P, Zhan F, Ma X, Wang D, Xu W, Wu G, Gao GF, Tan W |title=A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019 |journal=The New England Journal of Medicine |volume=382 |issue=8 |pages=727–733 |date=February 2020 |pmid=31978945 |pmc=7092803 |doi=10.1056/NEJMoa2001017}}</ref> It is thought to have an animal ([[Zoonosis|zoonotic]]) origin. Genetic analysis has revealed that the coronavirus genetically clusters with the genus ''[[Betacoronavirus]]'', in subgenus [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus|''Sarbecovirus'']] (lineage B) together with two bat-derived strains. It is 96% identical at the whole [[genome]] level to other bat coronavirus samples (BatCov [[RaTG13]]).<ref name="WHOReport24Feb2020">{{#invoke:cite report ||url=https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf |title=Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) |date=February 2020 |publisher=[[World Health Organization]] (WHO) |access-date=21 March 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200229221222/https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/who-china-joint-mission-on-covid-19-final-report.pdf |archive-date=29 February 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:Cite web|| title=Report of the WHO-China Joint Mission on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) | publisher=[[World Health Organization]] (WHO) | url=https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/report-of-the-who-china-joint-mission-on-coronavirus-disease-2019-(covid-19) | access-date=25 January 2022}}</ref><ref name="RathoreSingh">{{#invoke:cite journal || vauthors = Rathore JS, Ghosh C | title = Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), a newly emerged pathogen: an overview | journal = Pathogens and Disease | volume = 78 | issue = 6 | date = August 2020 | pmid = 32840560 | pmc = 7499575 | doi = 10.1093/femspd/ftaa042 | oclc = 823140442 | doi-access = free | title-link = doi }}</ref> The structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2 include [[coronavirus membrane protein|membrane glycoprotein]] (M), [[coronavirus envelope protein|envelope protein]] (E), [[coronavirus nucleocapsid protein|nucleocapsid protein]] (N), and the [[coronavirus spike protein|spike protein]] (S). The M protein of SARS-CoV-2 is about 98% similar to the M protein of bat SARS-CoV, maintains around 98% homology with pangolin SARS-CoV, and has 90% homology with the M protein of SARS-CoV; whereas, the similarity is only around 38% with the M protein of MERS-CoV.<ref>{{#invoke:cite journal || vauthors = Thomas S | title = The Structure of the Membrane Protein of SARS-CoV-2 Resembles the Sugar Transporter SemiSWEET | journal = Pathogens & Immunity | volume = 5 | issue = 1 | pages = 342–363 | date = October 2020 | pmid = 33154981 | pmc = 7608487 | doi = 10.20411/pai.v5i1.377 }}</ref>