Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pulse Survey

A new COVID-19 strain was first detected in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The source is believed to have originated from a live seafood market indicating that the virus had stemmed from the trading of wild animals.

Based on analysis, the COVID-19 genome is closely related to SARS, a similarly pneumonia-causing illness that attacks the respiratory system. The incubation period appears to be shorter than SARS and transmitting of the virus occurs swifter and prior to the appearance of flu-like symptoms.

The infection is now more widespread than SARS and according to the World Health Organization (WHO), signs of infection range from fever, cough, shortness of breath, and breathing difficulties.

While it is still too early to determine, medical experts think that it is less fatal than SARS, which had a mortality rate of 10%; the mortality rate of the COVID-19 is about 2%.