Coronavirus 101

COVID-2019 emerged from China in late December of 2019. It follows 2 other coronavirus outbreaks, the SARS-CoV and the MERS-CoV. Coronaviruses usually circulate among animals but sometimes can jump to humans. These 3 strains have caused severe disease in humans and global transmission concerns. Symptoms of COVID-2019 include cough, fever, and shortness of breath. Related illnesses can range from mild to severe to fatal. Primary care providers must be alert to respiratory symptoms they encounter that are associated with pertinent travel history, be prepared to safely screen, examine, and possibly test and/or report suspicions to the health department for further evaluation. •A newly emerged zoonotic coronavirus, COVID-19, threatens global health security.•The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the COVID-19 virus a “public health emergency of international concern.”•Cases of COVID-19 are spreading in communities worldwide from person to person.•The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently warned that community spread of COVID is expected to continue to increase in the United States.•The WHO stresses virus containment, surveillance, and prevention at all levels of health care.