Coronavirus pandemic: History, overview of different strains of coronaviruses and what went wrong

Coronaviruses are a group of RNA viruses of different strains that possess unique morphology and affect mammals, reptiles, and birds. They were first discovered in 1931 when infectious bronchitis virus was implicated as the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome in domesticated chicken. More recently, the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2019 which emerged from Wuhan, China, has become a global health concern and emergency. Their high pathogenicity and virulence have exacerbated respiratory infections leading to uncontrolled deaths. This chapter reveals of the nature, types, historical facts, and origin of coronavirus, what went wrong as regards the coronavirus outbreak, and future projection on the possible ways for the treatment of coronavirus disease.