what you need to know about the coronavirus

1. What You Need to Know About the Coronavirus
Abstract: As the novel coronavirus is spreading rapidly and threatening many
countries in the world, knowing more about coronavirus may help you overcome your
panic.
Just in the first 3 months of 2020, the Words of the Year has already found its
candidate – coronavirus. People who have pets may be more familiar with this word a
long time ago since canine parvovirus and canine coronavirus are two main killers of
puppies. However, the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is threatening global health
with stunning speed and sweep. So, what is coronavirus? Why is it so dangerous?
Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that cause diseases in mammals and birds. They
are enveloped viruses with positive sense, single-stranded RNA genomes. Its genome
size ranges from 26 to 32 kilobases (kb) in length and encodes a large polyprotein
(ORF1a/b) that is proteolytically cleaved to generate 15 or 16 non-structural proteins.
The name coronavirus is derived from the Latin corona, meaning "crown" or "halo",
which refers to the appearance reminiscent of a crown or a solar corona around the
virions when viewed under microscopy.
Coronaviruses can be divided into two subfamilies, Coronaviridae and Torovirinae.
Coronavirus subfamilies are divided into α, β, γ, δ four genera. Human coronaviruses
were first identified in the mid-1960s. The seven coronaviruses that can infect people
are common human coronaviruses including 229E (α coronavirus), NL63 (α
coronavirus), OC43 (β coronavirus), HKU1 (β coronavirus), and other human
coronaviruses including MERS-CoV (the β coronavirus that causes Middle East
Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS), SARS-CoV (the β coronavirus that causes severe
acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS) and SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that
causes coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19).
Common signs of infection include respiratory symptoms, fever, cough, shortness of
breath and breathing difficulties. However, in more severe cases, infection can cause
pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death.
Sound terrible though, coronaviruses do have medical value according to researches.
Department of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Utrecht University published a
paper in May 2005, showing that the mouse hepatitis coronavirus (MHV) have the
potential to destroy tumor cells in vitro. In order to produce genetically targeted
oncolytic coronaviruses, they incorporated the gene encoding the peptide-tag adapter
in the MHV genome in a way that during infection continuous amounts of adapter are
produced, thereby enabling the progeny virus to reinfect new cells. This resulted in
genetically targeted coronaviruses, which were able to specifically infect, and
replicate in human cancer cells expressing the specific targeting receptor,
consequently leading to rapid cell death. This research proved that some
coronaviruses may have the potential to be efficient in oncolytic virotherapy.

2. Above all, with limited technology, everything in nature is hard to understand and
exploring will never stop. Recently, facing the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, global
scientists are dedicating to finding ways in which the detection is more accurate and
the treatment is more efficient.
The Standard recommendations for the public are to wash hands regularly, cover
mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, and thoroughly cook meat and eggs. It
is also right that we must not panic. There are causes for optimism; reasons to think
there may be ways to contain and defeat the virus, and lessons to learn for the future.