March 2, 2020 overview coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). In 2019 a new coronavirus is a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus two (SARS-CoV-2). The disease it causes is called coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19). Cases of COVID-19 have been reported in a growing number of countries, including the US public health groups, such as the World Health Organization WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control and prevention CDC are monitoring the situation and posting updates on their websites. These groups have also issued a recommendation for preventing and treating the illness.