CORONAVIRUS

Published: March 15, 2020, 7:02 p.m.

b'Coronaviruses are a group of related\\xa0viruses\\xa0that cause diseases in\\xa0mammals\\xa0and\\xa0birds. In humans, coronaviruses cause\\xa0respiratory tract infections\\xa0that are typically mild, such as some cases of the\\xa0common cold\\xa0(among other possible causes, predominantly\\xa0rhinoviruses), though rarer forms can be lethal, such as\\xa0SARS,\\xa0MERS, and\\xa0COVID-19. Symptoms vary in other species: in chickens, they cause an\\xa0upper respiratory tract disease, while in cows and pigs they cause\\xa0diarrhea. There are yet to be\\xa0vaccines\\xa0or\\xa0antiviral drugs\\xa0to prevent or treat human coronavirus infections.'