Coronavirus is a group of virus whose different versions are responsible to different diseases such as Wuhan coronavirus, Middle east respiratory syndrome (MERS), Severe acute respiratory syndrome(SARS), etc.
A comparison:
| Wuhan Coronavirus | MERS | SARS | Common cold | |
| Origin | Wuhan, 2019 | Saudi Arabia, 2012 | Southern China,2002 | Very long |
| Transmission | Touching or eating an infected, as yet unidentified animal. Human-to-human transmission occurs through close contact. | Touching infected camels or consuming their milk or meat. | Believed to have spread from bats, which infected civets. | Touching a surface that carries the virus |
| Cases | Around 500 confirmed; 17 deaths as of Jan. 22. | 2,494 confirmed cases; Mortality rate of 34%. | 8,098 cases; 774 deaths. Mortality rate of about 10%. | Millions as it is very common to catch cold. |
| Human -to Human Contact | YES | YES, but limited | YES | YES |
| Current Status | Cases reported mainly in Wuhan, as well as other parts of China and Asia. | All cases linked to Arabian Peninsula, with 80% in Saudi Arabia | No new cases reported since 2004. 87% of previous cases in China and Hong Kong | Circulates year-round, but more common in fall/winter. |