(FROM LEFT TO RIGHT- Left is COVID-19; Upper Right is SARS; Lower Right is MERS)
The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is known to be a similar form of the previous two epidemics- SARS and MERS. Let’s have a look at the similarities and differences.
- The Case Rate- Apparently, COVID-19 has the highest amount of cases compared to the other 2 cases, however, the mortality rate is less than that of SARS and MERS. COVID-19 is also stated to have surpassed the case rate of SARS within 53 days of the outbreak.
- Origin of the Disease- According to human genomic studies, MERS is said to have passed from infected camels. But they also concluded that the disease originated in bats and was transmitted to camels sometime in the distant past. For COVID-19 and SARS, the origin of the virus is bats.
- Identification of the Disease- MERS was first identified in Saudi Arabia and then it further spread out to Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. But, SARS and COVID-19 were first identified in China and then they further spread out to North America, South America, Europe and Asia; whilst Corona has spread out to 150 countries, South Korea, Japan, Italy, Iran and the United States.
- Genome Structure- COVID-19 and SARS seem to share 80% of the same genomic sequence, whilst MERS tends to show a different structure.
THE CONCLUDING STATEMENT: All of these diseases point evidence towards the Darwinian Evolution Concept- Survival of the Fittest. But as the virus is now in the stage of human-human transmission; we must all make sure to stay safe during these tough times.