What's The Difference Between Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19?

Coronavirus is a name that describes a type of virus. There are many in the family, including SARS which caused an outbreak in 2003.

At the end of 2019, humanity unfortunately discovered another member of the coronavirus family:  SARS-CoV-2. 

The current list of the coronaviruses include:

• SARS-CoV
• MERS-CoV
• SARS-CoV-2

Coronavirus outbreaks are not new, but SARS-CoV-2 is a new virus that potentially spreads more easily SARS. It causes a disease, which was later named COVID-19.

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Viruses Cause Disease

Similar to how HIV, a virus, can cause AIDS, SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19. It is common that people often know the name of diseases, but not the associated virus, according to the WHO.

It’s easy to get lost in the sea of constantly-changing news surrounding the virus. As companies like Pfizer PFE, Gilead GILD, Novavax NVAX, GlaxoSmithKline GSK and others release more information on their vaccines in the works, it’s important to note the disease the companies reference.