SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-COV: A comparative overview

The recent outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 that started in Wuhan, China, has now spread to several other countries and is in its exponential phase of spread. Although less pathogenic than SARS-CoV, it has taken several lives and taken down the economies of many countries. Before this outbreak, the most recent coronavirus outbreaks were the SARS-CoV and the MERS-CoV outbreaks that happened in China and Saudi Arabia, respectively. Since the SARS-CoV-2 belongs to the same family as of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, they share several similarities. So, this review aims at understanding the new scenario of SARS-CoV-2 outbreak and compares the epidemiology, clinical presentations, and the genetics of these coronaviruses. Studies…