Coronaviruses are a big family of different viruses. Some of them cause the common cold in people. Others infect animals, including bats, camels, and cattle. But how did SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, come into being?
Here’s what we know about the history of the coronavirus that was first detected in late 2019 and set off a global pandemic.
Why is it called COVID-19?
The virus that causes COVID-19 is called SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was originally called the 2019 novel coronavirus. The shortened name is COVID-19.
Virus names are based on their genetic structure, or DNA. The virus that causes COVID-19 was given the name SARS-CoV-2 because it's DNA code is similar to the virus that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak.
COVID-19 Origins
There are two hypotheses about COVID-19's origins:
- Exposure to an infected animal
- Laboratory leak
The latest intelligence reports agree that the SARS-CoV-2 is not genetically engineered or developed as a biological weapon. The World Health Organization (WHO) found that most evidence points to a version of the coronavirus coming from an animal, likely a bat.
We haven't ruled out laboratory animals as a source of infection either. The United States government declared COVID-19 a lab leak from Wuhan in April of 2025. But the report still lacks conclusive data, and other world leaders disagree.
There is not enough evidence to support either argument. We do know COVID-19 was first reported in the seafood market in Wuhan, China. But this might not have been the first case.
When was the first case of COVID-19?
Many studies have looked for the origins of SARS-CoV-2, but none have found the answer. The coronaviruses behind Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) developed from bats.
COVID-19 first appeared on a small scale in November 2019 with the first large cluster appearing in Wuhan, China, by December 2019. It was first thought that SARS-CoV-2 made the jump to humans at one of Wuhan's open-air “wet markets.”
Wet markets are partially or fully open-air markets that sell fresh produce and meat. China's in-country World Health Organization office learned of multiple pneumonia cases of unknown cause. People reported symptoms such as fever and shortness of breath that seemed linked to the market.
Why is the first COVID-19 case hard to find?
SARS-CoV-2 doesn’t only spread through uncovered coughs — it can jump from person to person even when you don't have symptoms. That makes it hard to know who had the first case of COVID-19 because people can have mild symptoms or no symptoms.
“Viruses exist to make copies of themselves,” says Amy Edwards, MD, an infectious disease specialist and associate professor at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland. Sometimes you can get severe symptoms, but a lot of times, the virus is perfectly adapted to making us just sick enough that we will sneeze and cough the virus along to the next person.
Although a cluster of COVID-19 symptoms were first reported on Dec. 1, 2019, researchers aren't sure that's the first case. Because the virus can spread without symptoms, experts aren't sure if someone else had COVID before this and spread it without knowing.
Researchers suspect the first COVID-19 cases may have happened as early as October 2019 before spreading outside of China. As COVID spread, it infected people who had no direct contact with animals. That meant the virus hopped (was transmitted) from one human to another.
Social impact of unknown COVID-19 origins
SARS-CoV-2 continued to spread to the U.S. and around the globe, where people unwittingly caught and passed on the virus. The worldwide transmission caused a pandemic to be declared by the WHO on March 11, 2020.
Without enough evidence, experts haven't made a definitive conclusion. Because the first cases of COVID-19 appeared in China, there has been a lot of anti-Asian speech and acts around the origins of SARS-CoV-2. Other recent, serious epidemics have begun on other continents — Ebola virus and Zika virus, among them.
Coronavirus is unique in that Asian people, as a group, have been blamed and targeted for this disease. Here's some scientific language that can help:
- Instead of calling the coronavirus disease “Wuhan flu” or “Chinese flu,” try COVID-19, coronavirus disease, or COVID.
- Keep in mind that SARS-CoV-2 and the flu virus aren't the same thing. COVID killed over 7 million people worldwide as of 2026.
How Was the COVID-19 Vaccine Developed?
After the first COIVD-19 infections were reported, scientists figured out the genetic code for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Next, researchers looked at how older vaccines were made and came up with ideas to make a COVID-19 vaccine:
- A weakened or destroyed version of the virus to teach your body how to fight COVID infection, like the measles and the flu vaccines.
- A messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine using a piece of lab-made viral genetic code to teach your immune system to fight infection.
Clinical trial testing
In May 2020, the U.S. government launched Operation Warp Speed, a project that found six possible vaccines to test from various companies. This helped funnel millions of dollars into testing these vaccines in the hopes that one or more would work against SARS-CoV-2.
In less than a year, the first mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were tested on volunteers in clinical trials to make sure they worked and were safe to use. This was fast — it's not uncommon to have clinical trials stay open for months or even years waiting for enough people to volunteer or sign up for them.
“But with the COVID vaccine, the sign-up lists often filled up within a few weeks or a month at most," says Edwards. "Nearly all [the studies] had a waiting list in case someone who volunteered became ineligible for the trial and had to be withdrawn.”
Faster FDA approval
Even after clinical trial testing completes, most new vaccines must wait months to get approved. But that wasn't the case with COVID-19, the FDA dedicated a massive amount of resources to approve different COVID-19 vaccines :
The quick response helped billions of people get vaccination, and by May 5, 2023, the WHO declared the pandemic had ended. "So the slow and ponderous process was able to go much faster,” says Edwards. “All this together led to the vaccine coming out in record time."
Coronavirus Evolution
Scientists first reported a human coronavirus in 1965 that caused a common cold. Later that decade, researchers named a group of similar human and animal viruses "coronaviruses" after their crown-like appearance. (Corona comes from the Latin word for crown.)
Types of Coronavirus
Seven coronaviruses can cause infections in humans. Four typically cause mild or moderate chest infections, also called upper respiratory infections. Scientists name these coronaviruses by codes:
- 229E
- NL63
- OC43
- HKU1
The three other coronaviruses can cause more serious illness:
SARS-CoV emerged in southern China in 2002 to quickly spread to 29 other countries. It causes SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome. SARS-CoV infected a little more than 8,000 people by July 2003, and 774 died. A small outbreak in 2004 involved only nine cases. This coronavirus causes, fever, headache, and respiratory problems such as coughing and shortness of breath.
MERS-CoV started in Saudi Arabia in 2012. It causes Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). Most of the 2,500 people who got MERS during that outbreak lived in or had traveled to the Middle East. This coronavirus is less contagious than SARS-CoV but more deadly, and killed 959 of the people who were infected in 2012. MERS shares the same respiratory symptoms with SARS but can also cause kidney failure.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can sometimes cause life-threatening illness (2.1%), but not as often compared to SARS (9.5%), or MERS (34.4%). But COVID-19 was also the first coronavirus infection to cause a pandemic, so we've developed many more treatments.
Preventing COVID-19 after exposure
If you've been exposed to someone with COVID-19, ask your doctor aboutensitrelvir (Xocova). Adults and children 12 and older may be able to take this prescription antiviral pill to lower their risk of getting COVID-19.
What Treatments Have Been Developed for COVID-19?
Treatment options for COVID-19 have gotten more successful since early infections in 2019.
Figuring out a treatment
At first, health care professionals tried antibiotics like azithromycin (Zithromax) and antiviral medications like remdesivir (Veklury). They also gave drugs designed to calm down the immune system. Over time, they shared their successes and failures with the worldwide medical community and honed the best treatment options.
Currently, treatment can depend on many factors, including your:
- Risk for developing serious illness
- Age, especially if you're 75 or older
- Autoimmune or other health conditions
Current medicines for COVID
Your doctor may give you nirmatrelvir-ritonavir (Paxlovid), an antiviral medication taken by mouth. If Paxlovid isn't an option, they may offer another type of antiviral. You may also need other treatments if you get admitted to the hospital with severe symptoms, including:
- Nebulizer medications to widen your breathing passages
- Dexamethasone, a type of steroid to help protect against very low blood pressure and lower your immune response to COVID-19
- Baricitinib (Olumiant), an immunomodulator that might prevent the virus from getting into your cells, slowing any immune system overreaction
- Tocilizumab (Actemra), a medication that stops inflammation and may protect against COVID-19 complications
You may also need extra oxygen through small tubes in your nostrils or a face mask. If you become unable to breathe on your own, your medical team might place a tube in your throat to help you breathe. They may also place you on your stomach, which may help you breathe a little during a COVID-19 infection.
Takeaways
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is one of seven coronaviruses that can infect humans. There's still no definitive answer to the coronavirus's origins, but most scientists think the virus jumped from animals to humans or was developed in a lab. Because the coronavirus disease outbreak began in Wuhan, China, there has been a rash of anti-Asian language and behavior unlike what's been seen in previous disease outbreaks in other parts of the world. Years after the pandemic began, the history of this coronavirus is still being written.
Coronavirus History FAQs
Why is it called COVID-19?
The virus that causes COVID-19 is called SARS-CoV-2, or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus was originally called the 2019 novel coronavirus. The shortened name is COVID-19.
Virus names are based on their genetic structure, or DNA. The virus that causes COVID-19 was given the name SARS-CoV-2 because it's DNA code is similar to the virus that caused the 2003 SARS outbreak.
When was the first coronavirus discovered?
Scientists reported about the first human coronavirus in 1965. Coronaviruses cause respiratory diseases and can infect humans and animals. In humans, the virus can appear as a mild cold or as a more serious disease such as pneumonia.
What was the first case of COVID-19?
The virus that causes COVID-19 was a novel coronavirus, meaning it had never infected humans. The virus was discovered in Wuhan, China, in 2019 and spread rapidly around the globe. A number of factors contributed to how fast COVID-19 spread. It was very contagious, and people who didn’t have symptoms could spread it (without knowing it). COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in March 2020 and ended in May 2023.
When were coronaviruses first named?
The name comes from the viruses' distinctive spikes, which look like a crown. When the first one was discovered in 1965, scientists named it coronavirus after the Latin word for crown.
