What do all these CoV (Covid) variations mean? Why do I see so many in my reports?
Types of Coronavirus
Coronaviruses are a big family of different viruses having been around for many years. In humans, most coronaviruses cause the common cold. Others infect animals such as bats, camels, and cattle. A couple different types are, H-CoV (Human Coronavirus), SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus), and MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus). Many of you may recall 20 years ago there was a SARS outbreak infecting over 8000 people worldwide and reportedly killed 774. SARS was believed to be transmitted through respiratory droplets when an infected person coughed or sneezed. In 2004, there was a much smaller outbreak. But did you know there was a second SARS outbreak, although much smaller, in 2004 which was linked to a medical laboratory in China? Since 2004 there have been no known cases of SARS reported.
MERS
Approximately 8 to 10 years after SARS, we saw MERS appear. A much more deadly coronavirus than SARS where 3 or 4 out of every 10 people who contacted MERS died. The first known cases of MERS occurred in Jordan in April of 2012 and is still a problem in the Middle East today. Interestingly only two people in the US were reported to have contracted MERS and both had recently traveled from Saudi Arabia. Although not definitive, it is suspected MERS spreads from an infected person’s respiratory secretions, such as coughing. Both SARS and MERS coronaviruses were found to have been developed in animals.
Common Coronavirus
Industry Lab tests and reports a couple different coronaviruses: Coronavirus 229E (an alpha CV) and OC43 (a beta CV) which are thought to be responsible for 30% of common-cold cases. Additionally, we test and report Coronavirus NL63 (an alpha CV) which is usually not associated with severe disease but does cause respiratory tract symptoms and is a frequent infection in humans. Finally, Coronavirus HKU1 (a beta CV) which can again cause respiratory symptoms. All of these coronaviruses can cause other symptoms depending upon the health of the individual, however, none of these are the COVID-19 virus that caused the worldwide pandemic. CoV-12, COVID-19, and SARS-CoV-2 are all synonyms for the COVID virus having us all masked up and hiding in our homes. If a patient is positive for Covid they have Covid-19. If they are positive for any of the other Coronaviruses (229E, OC43, NL63, or HKU1) they have what is considered a common coronavirus, not Covid-19.
As always, please contact us with any questions. We are here to help you help your patients. Thank you for your trust in ILDP.
President/CEO Industry Lab Diagnostic Partners