Update: Things You Need To Know About The COVID-19 Pandemic

A new coronavirus that emerged in China late last year has spread to at least 185 countries on six continents, with the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring the outbreak of the pathogen a pandemic.

The death toll from the virus has surged past 133,000 and the number of reported cases is more than two million globally, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. More than 494,000 people have so far recovered.

As fear has spread, scientists and researchers around the world have ramped up efforts to understand the new virus and how it affects the human body. Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease.

Here is what we know about the coronavirus and the highly infectious respiratory disease it causes, COVID-19, and what happens if you are infected.