History of Coronavirus in Timeline

Coronaviruses are a family of RNA viruses affecting mammals and birds, causing respiratory illnesses in humans, ranging from the common cold to severe diseases like SARS, MERS, and COVID-19. They also cause diarrhea in cows and pigs, and hepatitis and encephalomyelitis in mice. These viruses pose significant threats to public health and agriculture due to their varied and potentially lethal effects on different species.

1931: First detailed report of coronavirus infection in chickens

In 1931, Arthur Schalk and M.C. Hawn made the first detailed report describing a new respiratory infection of chickens in North Dakota. The infection of new-born chicks was characterized by gasping and listlessness with high mortality rates of 40–90%.

1933: Isolation of infectious bronchitis virus

In 1933, Leland David Bushnell and Carl Alfred Brandly isolated the virus that caused the respiratory infection in chickens, initially known as infectious bronchitis virus (IBV).

1937: Cultivation of infectious bronchitis virus

In 1937, Charles D. Hudson and Fred Robert Beaudette cultivated the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) for the first time. The specimen came to be known as the Beaudette strain.

1960: Divergence of alpaca coronavirus and human coronavirus 229E

Sometime before 1960, alpaca coronavirus and human coronavirus 229E diverged.

1961: Collection of common cold virus B814

In 1961, E.C. Kendall, Malcolm Bynoe, and David Tyrrell collected a unique common cold virus designated B814 at the Common Cold Unit of the British Medical Research Council.

1962: Isolation of novel cold virus 229E

In 1962, Dorothy Hamre and John Procknow at the University of Chicago isolated a novel cold virus from medical students, designating it 229E. They isolated and grew the virus in kidney tissue culture.

1965: Cultivation of novel virus B814

In 1965, Tyrrell and Bynoe successfully cultivated the novel virus B814 by serially passing it through organ culture of human embryonic trachea.

1967: Morphological relation of IBV, B814 and 229E confirmed

In 1967, Scottish virologist June Almeida, collaborating with Tyrrell, compared the structures of IBV, B814, and 229E using electron microscopy. The three viruses were shown to be morphologically related by their general shape and distinctive club-like spikes. Also in 1967, a research group at the National Institute of Health isolated another member of this new group of viruses using organ culture and named one of the samples OC43.

1968: Coronavirus name used in print

In 1968, the name coronavirus was first used in print by an informal group of virologists in the journal Nature to designate the new family of viruses. The name was chosen due to the virus's distinctive appearance under electron microscopy, resembling a solar corona or halo.

1971: Coronavirus accepted as genus name

In 1971, the scientific name Coronavirus was accepted as a genus name by the International Committee for the Nomenclature of Viruses, which was later renamed the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.

1986: Divergence of bat coronavirus and SARS-CoV

In 1986, the most closely related bat coronavirus and SARS-CoV diverged.

2003: WHO identifies novel coronavirus as cause of SARS

In 2003, following the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a novel coronavirus was the causative agent for SARS. The virus was officially named the SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV).

2003: Discovery of SARS-CoV's unique pathogenesis

In 2003, it was discovered that the human coronavirus SARS-CoV, which causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), has a unique pathogenesis because it causes both upper and lower respiratory tract infections.

2003: Discovery of SARS-CoV

In 2003, the SARS-CoV virus was identified and classified as a human coronavirus.

2004: Discovery of HCoV HKU1

In 2004, the HCoV HKU1 virus was identified and classified as a human coronavirus.

2009: Genus split into four genera

In 2009, as the number of new species increased, the Coronavirus genus was split into four genera: Alphacoronavirus, Betacoronavirus, Deltacoronavirus, and Gammacoronavirus.

September 2012: Identification of Novel Coronavirus 2012

In September 2012, a new type of coronavirus was identified, initially called Novel Coronavirus 2012, and later officially named Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

May 2013: Confirmation of human-to-human transmission of MERS-CoV

On May 12, 2013, a case of human-to-human transmission of MERS-CoV in France was confirmed by the French Ministry of Social Affairs and Health. Cases of human-to-human transmission were also reported by the Ministry of Health in Tunisia.

October 2013: MERS-CoV cases and deaths in Saudi Arabia

By October 30, 2013, there were 124 cases and 52 deaths related to MERS-CoV in Saudi Arabia.

2013: Discovery of MERS-CoV

In 2013, the MERS-CoV virus was identified and classified as a human coronavirus.

May 2014: First U.S. cases of MERS-CoV

In May 2014, the only U.S. cases of MERS-CoV (both survived) were recorded.

May 2015: MERS-CoV outbreak in South Korea

In May 2015, an outbreak of MERS-CoV occurred in the Republic of Korea, causing one of the largest outbreaks of MERS-CoV outside the Middle East.

2018: Discovery of canine coronavirus infecting humans

In 2018, during a surveillance study of archived samples of Malaysian viral pneumonia patients, virologists identified a strain of canine coronavirus which has infected humans.

December 2019: MERS-CoV cases and mortality rate

As of December 2019, 2,468 cases of MERS-CoV infection had been confirmed by laboratory tests, with 851 fatalities, resulting in a mortality rate of approximately 34.5%.

December 2019: Pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan traced to novel coronavirus

In December 2019, a pneumonia outbreak was reported in Wuhan, China. On December 31, 2019, the outbreak was traced to a novel strain of coronavirus, initially named 2019-nCoV by the World Health Organization, and later renamed SARS-CoV-2.

2019: Discovery of SARS-CoV-2

In 2019, the SARS-CoV-2 virus was identified and classified as a human coronavirus.

2020: 45 Coronavirus species recognized

As of 2020, 45 species of Coronavirus are officially recognised.

March 2023: COVID-19 pandemic statistics

As of March 10, 2023, there were at least 6,881,955 confirmed deaths and more than 676,609,955 confirmed cases in the COVID-19 pandemic. It was also discovered that the Wuhan strain has been identified as a new strain of Betacoronavirus from group 2B with approximately 70% genetic similarity to the SARS-CoV and a 96% similarity to a bat coronavirus.