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Life Featured ![\\"\\"](\\" _Featured-Image-351x221.jpg\\") ## Review: Delhi HC Rules That Arbitration Tribunal Cannot Direct for Production of ‘Top Secret’ Documents, Except in Exceptional Circumstances By Suresh DeepalaOctober 2, 2024 __0 Recent ![\\"\\"](\\" _Featured-Image-103x65.jpg\\") Review: Delhi HC Rules That Arbitration Tribunal Cannot Direct for Production of ‘Top Secret’ Documents, Except in Exceptional Circumstances October 2, 2024 __0 ![\\"\\"](\\" Rate_Image-103x65.jpg\\") PLFS Data: Reported Number of Average Working Hours A Week for Men Was Consistently Over 50 Hours September 30, 2024 __0 ![\\"\\"](\\" Modi-featured-image-103x65.jpeg\\") Data: Between 1999 & 2024, Indian Prime Ministers Visited 79 Different Countries September 27, 2024 __0 * Elections * Fact Checks * English * Telugu * Coronavirus * Others * Videos * Data Tools * Data Dashboards * Counting India * About Us * Our Story * Team * Fact Checking * Fact Check Methodology * Fact-Check Team * Non-partisanship Policy * Corrections Policy * FAQ’s * Contact Us * Subscribe * Careers * Compliance of IT Rules 2021 * Privacy Policy * GOVT. DATA ROUNDUP Coronavirus, Coronavirus English, English, Fake News # Coronaviruses were known to humans decades ago. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus is just a new type of Coronavirus 0 By Akhil Reddy on March 27, 2020 * A A A Twitter Facebook Reddit A lot of posts with images and videos are being shared on Facebook with a claim that humans knew about COVID-19 much before its outbreak in 2020. While some have posted the video clip of a Netflix series (‘My Secret Terrius’) as a proof, others have posted an image of Ramesh Gupta’s Zoology textbook claiming that it contains the medicine for COVID-19. Let’s try to analyze the claim made in the post. ![\\"\\"](\\" before-FB-Post.jpg\\")The archived version of the post can be found here. ![\\"\\"](\\" before-FB-Post-2.jpg\\")The archived version of the post can be found here. > Claim: COVID-19 was known to humans before its outbreak in 2020. > > Fact: The new SAR-CoV-2 virus (which cause COVID-19) was first reported in > December 2019. All the old images and videos being shared on social media > refer to the virus as Coronavirus, not as SAR-CoV-2 (or COVID-19). > Coronaviruses were known to human decades ago. All the references made on > social media were about the Coronaviruses, a general term for various > viruses which cause diseases ranging from the common cold to Severe Acute > Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). Hence the claims made in the posts > areMISLEADING. On looking at both the image and video, it can be observed that both just refer to the term ‘Coronavirus’. On the WHO website, it can be read that ‘ _Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses_ which may cause illness in animals or humans. In humans, **several coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases** such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). The most recently discovered coronavirus causes coronavirus disease COVID-19.’ So, just a reference to ‘Coronavirus’, in the image and video, cannot directly link them to the SAR-CoV-2 virus (a type of Coronavirus which causes COVID-19). ![\\"\\"](\\" before-WHO.jpg\\") In the ‘Virology’ magazine published in 2012, it can be read that ‘coronavirus disease was first described in 1931, with the **first coronavirus (HCoV-229E) isolated from humans in 1965’**. Before COVID-19, two other disease outbreaks (SARS-CoV in 2003 and MERS‐CoV in 2012) were also caused in humans by Coronaviruses. More information about the previous strains of Coronavirus and the SARS-CoV-2 (previously called as 2019-nCoV) can be seen here and types of Human Coronaviruses can be found be here. ![\\"\\"](\\" before-WHO-2.jpg\\") ![\\"\\"](\\" before-CDC-1024x458.jpg\\") In the Zoology textbook, it was given that ‘common cold is caused by various kinds of viruses. In 75 percent of cases, it is due to Rhinovirus and in remaining cases, it is due to Coronavirus’. It does not mention about SARS- CoV-2 or COVID-19. The medicines suggested in the book were for the treatment of common cold, not for COVID-19. On the WHO website, it can be read that, ‘to date, there is no vaccine and no specific antiviral medicine to prevent or treat COVID-2019’. Also, the Press Information Bureau has clarified that the viral message is ‘fake’. > कोरोना वायरस पर उपचार के भ्रामक संदेशो से सावधान रहें | #coronavirus infection पर हमेशा सटीक जानकारी के लिए स्वास्थ्य एवं परिवार कल्याण मंत्रालय, भारत सरकार के दिशानिर्देशों को पढ़े | pic.twitter.com/h34a6AygeC > > — PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) March 22, 2020 Coming to the video clip of Netflix series (‘My Secret Terrius’), it also just refers to the term ‘Coronavirus’ and says that the mortality rate of the new mutant virus is almost 90 percent. But, the overall mortality rate of COVID-19 was reported to be just around 5 percent. While the virus mentioned in the video clip affects a human in just 5 minutes, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has an incubation period of 1- 14 days. So, just a reference to ‘Coronavirus’ excited the social media users to share the video in the context of the COVID-19 outbreak. ![\\"\\"](\\" before-WHO-3.jpg\\") Previously, a photo of a Dettol bottle, manufactured in October 2019, was also shared with a claim that Dettol can kill the new coronavirus, as ‘Coronavirus’ was mentioned on the bottle. FACTLY has debunked the claim and wrote a fact- check article, which can be read here. ![\\"\\"](\\" before-Dettol-1024x512.jpg\\") To sum it up, Coronaviruses were known to humans decades ago. SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus is just a new type of Coronavirus. _Did you watch our new video?_ ![\\"Factly\\"](\\" WhatsApp-channel-minified-scaled.jpeg\\") Share. Twitter Facebook Google+ Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email __Previous ArticleExplainer: What is the Epidemic Diseases act of 1897? Next Article __ఫోటోలో తన కుటుంబ సభ్యులను దూరం నుండి చూస్తున్న వ్యక్తీ ఇండోనేషియా డాక్టర్ హైడియో అలీ కాదు ### About Author ![\\"\\"](\\" Akhil Reddy ### Related Posts ఫోటోలో మాజీ ప్రధాని ఇందిరా గాంధీ సైనికులను ఉద్దేశించి మాట్లాడుతున్నద... NEET(UG) 2024 పరీక్ష పేపర్ లీక్ నిందితుల్లో కేవలం ముస్లింలు మాత్రమే ... These visuals showcase wax food display replicas found in Japan, not... 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COVID19 was known to humans before its outbreak in 2020