The novel coronavirus (provisionally named 2019-nCoV) is a contagious virus that causes respiratory infection. It has been identified as the causative agent of the ongoing 2019–20 Wuhan coronavirus outbreak.
As many early cases were linked to a large seafood and animal market, the virus is thought to have a zoonotic origin, but this has not been confirmed. Comparisons of the genetic sequences of this virus and other virus samples have shown similarities to SARS-CoV (79.5%) and bat coronaviruses (96%), which makes an ultimate origin in bats likely.
The first known human infection occurred in December 8, 2019. An outbreak of 2019-nCoV was first detected in Wuhan, China, in mid-December 2019.The virus subsequently spread to all other provinces of China and to more than twenty other countries in Asia, Europe, North America, and Oceania. Human-to-human spread of the virus has been confirmed in China, Germany, Thailand, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States.
As of 1 February 2020, there were 12,024 confirmed cases of infection, of which 11,860 were within mainland China. Cases outside China, to date, were people who have either travelled from Wuhan, or were in direct contact with someone who travelled from the area. The number of deaths was 259 as of 1 February 2020.