Outbreak, community spread, and other helpful COVID-19 terms, explained
What the SARS-CoV-2 virus looks like (CDC/Alissa Eckert, MS; Dan Higgins, MAM/)The news about coronavirus is whirling faster than most people can keep up, and with the constant updates come a slew of terms being bandied about as if everyone is already familiar with them. We gathered a bunch of those words and phrases and broke them down for you here in our handy COVID-19 glossary—and don’t worry, we define that one for you, too.Don’t see something that you’re confused about? Tweet us @PopSci. We’ll keep this list updated.CoronavirusThough lots of folks are calling the disease “coronavirus,” this is actually a general term for a family of viruses that can cause everything from the common cold to SARS and MERS. This new strain, or novel coronavirus (nCoV) is one that hasn’t been identified in humans previously. All coronaviruses originally came from animals (SARS from civet cats, MERS from camels), which...