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.

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Etymology

Origin of novel coronavirus

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

Example Sentences

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

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2025

Most of all, there is no more testing, no threat of the novel coronavirus hovering overhead.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 30, 2024

The trajectory of the pandemic has brought the novel coronavirus closer to influenza in terms of its prevalence and deadliness, but it’s not there yet.

From Seattle Times • May 22, 2024

It was four years ago today that Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all Californians to stay home to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

From New York Times • Mar. 19, 2024

In the months after the emergence of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV2 in late 2019 a patient-reported syndrome termed Long-COVID began to come to the fore as an enduring manifestation of acute infection.

From Science Daily • Feb. 22, 2024