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novel coronavirus

American  
[nov-uhl kuh-roh-nuh-vahy-ruhs] / ˈnɒv əl kəˈroʊ nəˌvaɪ rəs /

noun

Pathology.
  1. a coronavirus that has not previously been detected or reported: nCoV

    the public health threat of novel coronaviruses such as COVID-19.


Etymology

Origin of novel coronavirus

First recorded in 1985–90; applied to SARS ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

I was one of a handful of patient zeros, the first cohort of Americans to test positive for the novel coronavirus in March 2020.

From Los Angeles Times

Series creator Dan Erickson and executive producer Ben Stiller have been working on "Severance" in some form since 2015, and Apple picked it up to series in 2019 – well before that nasty novel coronavirus ground life to a halt.

From Salon

Unlike the once "novel" coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, H5N1 is nothing new and has been documented since the '90s.

From Salon

“If it’s true that the novel coronavirus would kill millions without shelter-in-place orders and quarantines, then the extraordinary measures being carried out in cities and states around the country are surely justified,” Bhattacharaya wrote.

From Salon

This is no longer the “novel” coronavirus that once terrified people with its unpredictability.

From Salon