In 1968, term ‘coronavirus’ was first coined. It shows crown-like morphology when observed under electron microscope. CoVs are
summarized into four genera such as Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus, Gammacoronavirus and Deltacoronavirus. Betacoronavi-
rus was further classified into four lineages A, B, C and D. Total 06 species of human coronaviruses have been discovered including
OC43, 229E, NL63, HKU1, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. A novel (new) coronavirus is recently discovered in December 2019 in Wuhan
city of China. The coronavirus belongs to family- Coronaviridae; largest family in Nidovirales order. Chinese authority declared it as
a novel coronavirus (nCoV-19). MERS-CoV was detected in camel serum- being almost identical to human coronaviruses. Bats have
been a natural reservoir of coronaviruses lineages and thought as ancestor for all coronavirus lineages. In India, 9 deaths have been
reported till 24 March 2020.

Mode of transmission
It transmits form one body to another by following means:
• Coughing/exhaling (droplets spread-out in approximate-
ly 1 meter area)
• Passively touching the contaminated surfaces (desks, tab-
lets, telephones etc.)
• Shaking hands and touching eyes, nose and mouth (with
contaminated)
• Engaging with animals/pets or animal products.
Symptoms
• High Fever
• Dry Cough
• Dyspnea (breathing difficulty)
• Headache
• Body pain
• Pneumonia.
Preventive measures
Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India (GOI) aware
citizens with ‘Do The Five’: Help stop coronavirus (and W.H.O.) in-
cludes as follows:
• Wash hand frequently
• Cough into Elbow
• Don’t touch face
• Keep safe distance/space
• Stay at home, if you can