Why the Name COVID-19 is Given to The Virus?

Viruses and the diseases caused by them are often named differently. People usually know the name of the diseases, but not the virus that is causing it. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or simply COVID-19 is the new name of a virus and the disease, respectively. It is prevailing across the world since December 2019. It is the name selected because the virus causing the disease is genetically associated with the Coronavirus liable for causing the SARS outbreak back in 2003. 

In February 2020, WHO decided a name for the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 and it is named as COVID-19. The novel coronavirus originated from a Chinese city, Wuhan, back in December 2019, and since then, it is rapidly spreading across the world, causing a pandemic situation. COVID-19 is the short form of Coronavirus Disease of 2019. 

         

There is no medicine or vaccine available until date, and scientists worldwide are still on clinical trials of vaccines and medicines. The only option as of now to prevent the virus from infecting you is precautions. Besides, you need to follow WHO guidelines and eat a healthy diet and immunity boosters to strengthen your immunity. Buy immune boosters online using 1mg coupons to get discounts and save money. 

Why the Name COVID-19 is Given to The Virus? 

1. What Does COVID-19 Mean in its Full Form?

COVID-19 is the name given to the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. As mentioned, viruses and diseases caused by it usually have different names. So, SARS-CoV-2 is the name of the virus that causes the disease called COVID-19. 

2. Who Named the Disease as COVID-19?

Coronavirus disease was surfaced back in late 2019 and originated from a city in China. Since the first outbreak was reported in December 2019 and the virus causing the outbreak was SARS-CoV-2, it was named as COVID-19 by “WHO” in their press release on 11th February 2020.

3. When was the Novel Coronavirus Named as COVID-19?

In December 2019, a new and strange pneumonia case was diagnosed, and the cause was unknown to the Chinese WHO Country Office. It was reported that a branch of such cases originated from Wuhan city. The infection was found to be caused by a new type of Coronavirus, and hence it was named as “2019 New Coronavirus” or 2019-nCoV. 

Later in 2020, it is renamed “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2” by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses on the 11th of February 2020. It was renamed to SARS-CoV-2 because the virus causing the disease is a genetic cousin of Coronavirus, which was responsible for causing the SARS outbreak back in 2003 which was called as SARS-CoV. The unofficial name of the virus is still the COVID-19 virus. 

4. Why was Coronavirus Renamed to COVID-19?

In a press release from the World Health Organization, the Novel Coronavirus was renamed to COVID-19, and they also explained why the new name was adopted for the disease. The new name was adopted to allow a path for discussion on disease prevention, transmissibility, spread, severity, and finding treatments and cures.

So, the disease is officially renamed as COVID-19 by “WHO” in their press release and considered it in the International Classification of Diseases. The name COVID-19 was decided based on the set guidelines between the World Organization for Animal Health and Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations.    

    

The abbreviation and the name of the disease are selected as COVID-19 because it didn’t refer to any specific animal, geographical location or specific groups of the human race. Plus, COVID-19 is also easy to pronounce, and it is closely associated with the disease. 

You have heard the terms like Novel Coronavirus, new coronavirus and COVID-19, all used interchangeably, and it fine to use any of these terms while discussing the virus or disease because everyone will probably understand what you mean by speaking those terms. But you need to understand that New Coronavirus or Novel Coronavirus usually refers to the virus, while COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the virus. 

5. Why is it Necessary to Name a Virus or Diseases They Cause?

Every time a pandemic situation is caused, the disease and virus quickly get a name based on its origins, human populations getting infected or the first animal species causing it. It may cause lots of misinformation and xenophobia. The World Health Organization has the best guidelines to decide names for any new disease or virus. 

The focus of their guidelines is to reduce the unwanted negative impacts of disease names on tourism, travel, trade, animal and human welfare while avoiding the cause of offense to any national, social, cultural, professional, regional and ethnic groups. The guidelines have mentioned why it is important and necessary to name a virus and disease they cause. It is named to enable the discussion on disease prevention while stopping the transmissibility, spread, severity and finding new cures and treatments. 

Conclusion!

At present, there are no medicines or vaccines available for the virus. The only way to stay healthy and protected is by taking precautions like washing hands with soap regularly, wearing masks in public places and having some immunity boosters. You may buy immune-boosting supplements online using Netmeds coupon code to get heavy discounts on your purchase.