There are some coronaviruses that normally only infect animals – scientists think this one has managed to ‘jump host’ from an animal to a person. This would partly explain why we’re so susceptible to it. If a disease hasn’t infected people before, then there won’t be any immunity built up in the population. There are a couple of theories about where this coronavirus could have come from. It’s genetically very similar to one that infects bats, so it could have come from there. But some researchers believe it came from pangolins (these are scaly anteaters but I think they look a bit like a cross between an anteater and an armadillo)
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IMPORTANT: This question and its answers are about coronavirus (COVID-19). The information on this page might be out of date or wrong.
For up-to-date health information and advice, please go to the NHS website: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/