User:Geraldshields11/sandbox/NovelSARS

Novel coronavirus 2012, or London1_novel CoV 2012, is the tentative name of a newly discovered coronavirus. Early reports compared the virus to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), with suspicion of an animal origin. The virus first emerged in the Middle East, and was discovered on September 2012 in a Qatari man who had recently traveled to Saudi Arabia. He was treated for respiratory disease, which led to renal failure. The first known case was a Saudi Arabian who died in early 2012. This virus is referred to as 'Saudi SARS' in informal settings to differentiate it from the Hong Kong/Canadian SARS.

The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that it is "engaged in further characterizing the novel coronavirus" and that it has "immediately alerted all its Member States about the virus and has been leading the coordination and providing guidance to health authorities and technical health agencies." The United Kingdom's Health Protection Agency is working on the genetic sequence of the virus, based on the virus's RNA obtained from the Qatari case. Virologist Ron Fouchier has speculated that the virus might have originated in bats. After a Saudi scientist sent a sample of the virus to Fouchier, he patented his sequencing of the virus’s genome, despite the protestations of Saudi officials, who did not authorise the initial shipment of the virus.

On February 21, 2013, WHO stated that there had been 13 laboratory-confirmed cases, 6 cases (4 fatal) from Saudi Arabia, 2 cases (both fatal) from Jordan, 2 cases from Qatar, and 3 from the UK. Two of the Saudi Arabia cases were from the same family and from that family at least one additional person presented similar symptoms but tested negative for the novel coronavirus. In February 2013, the first UK case of the novel coronavirus was confirmed in Manchester in a person who had recently visited the Middle East and Pakistan; it was the 10th case globally. The man's son contracted the virus, providing the first strong evidence for person-to-person transmission. He died on 19 February 2013. On 13 February 2013, WHO stated "the risk of sustained person-to-person transmission appears to be very low."

In March 2013, the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Health reported the death of a 39-year-old man, the 15th case and 9th death reported to WHO.

On 2 May 2013, Saudia Arabia's Health Ministry anounced five people died and two other people are in critical condition with confirmed cases of SARS.