Definition of Terms Coronaviruses (CoV) – a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS-CoV) and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the virus strain that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)