What it means
A coronavirus that spread from animals to people in 2002 and caused severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), a serious lung infection, in several countries before it was contained. A related virus, SARS-CoV-2, appeared in 2019 and causes COVID-19. Coronaviruses spread mainly by respiratory droplets and particles from coughs and sneezes.
For the nurse
Care for a client with a suspected new respiratory virus follows the facility's current CDC-based precautions, which for SARS included airborne and contact precautions with eye protection.
At a glance
| Also written | SARS coronavirus, SARS-CoV-1 |
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Related terms
pneumonia
An infection of one or both lungs in which the air sacs fill with fluid or pus.
SARS-CoV-2
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2: the virus that causes COVID-19.