ABSTRACT
The coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus first emerged in China in fall 2019, eventually spread worldwide, and was labeled a pandemic in March 2020 by the WHO. SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus, causing a range of symptoms including coughing, shortness of breath, loss of taste or smell, or no symptoms at all. SARS-CoV-2 is most closely related to a bat coronavirus and is thought to have made the leap from bats to humans, or first through an intermediary animal such as a civet or pangolin. The United States experienced the first wave of cases in spring 2020, and cases continue to climb to this day. Vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 were developed within 11 months of the release of the viral genome, with mRNA vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna/BioNTech receiving emergency use authorization in December 2020 in the United States. Other vaccines followed, and over half of the world’s population was vaccinated as of December 2021, although large regions of the world still have very limited vaccine access. SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to cause new waves of infection. Future efforts will focus on increasing the number of vaccinated individuals and working to improve health equity and security worldwide.
