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

The indictment stems from the earliest days of the pandemic in the first months of 2020, when scientists were trying to get their arms around the novel coronavirus and delve into its features and origins.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 30, 2026

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

From Salon • Jan. 8, 2025

It was March 4, 2020, when Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to respond to the novel coronavirus.

From New York Times • Mar. 4, 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

COVID-19, caused by a novel coronavirus, was an example of a Disease X when it touched off the pandemic at the end of 2019.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 17, 2024