According to Jeff Whippo's explanation of the history of coronaviruses, a pneumonia outbreak that was recorded in Wuhan in 2019 marked the beginning of the phenomenon. The WHO designated the new coronavirus strain that was linked to it as 2019-nCoV. Later, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses changed its name to SARS-CoV-2.

This Wuhan strain is a novel group 2B betacoronavirus strain that shares over 70% of its genetic makeup with the SARS-CoV. Since the virus resembles a bat coronavirus 96% of the time, it is also thought to have come from bats. As SARS-CoV-2 spread both inside and outside China, it affected people who have had no direct contact with animals.

According to Jeff Whippo, the coronavirus was initially discovered in 1965 and has since evolved. A collection of related human and animal viruses were discovered later that decade, and they were given the term "crown" because of their resemblance. He adds that humans can be infected by seven coronaviruses. In 2002, the SARS-causing agent first appeared in southern China and swiftly expanded to 28 other nations.

WHO said in a news statement in 2003 that the cause of SARS was a new coronavirus that several labs had discovered. The human coronaviruses HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, HCoV-229E, and HCoV-NL63 are constantly circulating in the human population and cause the often mild symptoms of the common cold in both adults and children globally, according to Jeff Whippo, who adds to the history of coronaviruses.