Coronavirus [kəˈɹəʊnəˌvaɪɹəs] (derived from the Latin corōna for ‘garland’ or ‘crown’) is any of a family of RNA viruses. The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causes the disease COVID-19. The first case was recorded in late 2019 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. COVID-19 developed into an epidemic in China in January 2020, quickly unleashing a global pandemic.