How the COVID-19 Virus Got Its Official Name
Chapter 1

The outbreak and global spread of SARS-CoV-2

Chapter 2

Deciphering the virus: Science under the microscope

Chapter 3

The race for a shield: Vaccine breakthrough

Chapter 4

A world transformed: Adaptation and future prep

YOUR GOAL

Master of The story of the COVID-19 pandemic

Ch 1 · The outbreak and global spread of SARS-CoV-2
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How the virus got its official name

doctorx The World Health Organization named the disease COVID-19, while committee scientists named the virus SARS-CoV-2 due to 2003

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Declaring a global public health emergency

doctorx Glowing spike-protein spheres float over an empty blue city with social-distancing decals.

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Fun Fact

Naming the virus: The name coronavirus comes from the Latin word corona, meaning crown, referring to the crown-like spikes on the virus's surface.

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Glossary
pandemic (noun)
An outbreak of a disease that occurs over a wide geographic area and affects a high proportion of the population. The World Health Organization officially declared the rapidly spreading virus a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

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Gossip

How did your family react when schools first closed in March 2020?

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Quiz

What does the 'SARS' in the virus name SARS-CoV-2 stand for?

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Quiz

When did the WHO declare the COVID-19 outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)?

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Quiz

Which appearance under an electron microscope inspired the name 'coronavirus'?

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Quiz

What does the '19' stand for in the official name 'COVID-19'?

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Quiz

On what date did the World Health Organization officially declare COVID-19 a global pandemic?

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Quiz

Which international body is responsible for naming the virus itself, SARS-CoV-2?

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Quiz

On what date was the World Health Organization first notified of a mysterious pneumonia cluster in Wuhan, China?

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Quiz

What was the first country outside of China to report a laboratory-confirmed case of the novel coronavirus in January 2020?

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