The New Coronavirus Outbreak: What We Know So Far

Wuhan-based virologist Shi Zhengli has identified dozens of deadly SARS-like viruses in bat caves, and she warns there are more out there

The virus will likely spread to all countries on the globe, but actions can still limit its impact

Seattle’s outbreak shows the challenges unhoused communities could face throughout the U.S.

Research meetings are being canceled left and right over epidemic fears, slowing the work of scientists—especially those who are early in their career

Scientific American contributing editor W. Wayt Gibbs reports from the U.S. epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak: Kirkland, Wash. In this first installment of an ongoing series, he looks at why children seem to weather this disease better than adults and the complicated issue of shuttering schools.

Does right-wing skepticism toward the coronavirus have anything to do with the postmodern philosophy of Thomas Kuhn?

Scientists expect to see changes in the timing, location and severity of disease outbreaks as global temperatures rise

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health are betting on a different approach than existing efforts for battling COVID-19

We need to rethink our public health strategies before the next outbreak—even if the conversations are uncomfortable

We need to hear about the risks directly from the experts, not through the filter of politicians

Getting ready for the possibility of major disruptions is not only smart; it’s also our civic duty

The finding could help lay the groundwork for a vaccine

Despite flimsy evidence, trying these drugs in humans is the only way to know if they will work against COVID-19

They aim for clarity amid confusion surrounding the outbreak

The World Health Organization chose the name based on the type of virus and the year the first cases were seen

Whenever there’s a new outbreak, scientists rush to calculate a number called R₀, or R-naught

The novel coronavirus outbreak raises questions about how such pathogens evolve and what makes infections mild or severe

Infectious disease surveillance networks already exist, but they can be highly porous

CDC officials raised the possibility that the coronavirus could become a pandemic, but hoped it would not be

The declaration was made because of the risk the virus poses to countries outside China, where limited person-to-person spread has occurred

The case involved the husband of an infected woman who recently traveled to China

We need to treat it as the deadly biological threat it is

The team plans to share the virus with groups around the world to spur development of diagnostics and vaccines

The parallel dos and don’ts for the two viruses are striking