SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA coronavirus which causes the disease COVID-19. It used to be known as 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The virus started the 2019–20 coronavirus outbreak. The first suspected cases were reported to the WHO on December 31, 2019. Many early cases of this new coronavirus were linked to Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, a large seafood and animal market in Wuhan, China. The virus may have come from infected animals. It is not certain that this place was the source of the pandemic.