In the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak, there is little reliable information on what exactly the coronavirus is and how it wreaks havoc on human health.

To fill this void in our understanding, this book provides a succinct yet an entertaining account of the new coronavirus in an everyday language for the lay person.   

In particular, a brief history of coronaviruses is presented and the fact that they are the second leading cause of common cold is discussed in the context of other viruses.

Yet, the new coronavirus is a respiratory pathogen that causes a far more fatal disease that has come to be known as the “severe acute respiratory syndrome” or SARS for short.

What exactly is SARS and why the world failed to avert the third such deadly outbreak since 2002 is critically examined.

The book also provides thorough insights into the history of antiviral vaccines and what lessons can they offer us with regard to the likelihood of the development of an all-weather anti-coronavirus vaccine.

In the interim that the development of an anti-coronavirus vaccine remains in progress, the efficacy and relevance of alternative therapies available to treat coronavirus infections is described in critical terms.  

In order to drill the final nail in the coffin of the coronavirus, it will be incumbent upon a majority of people to ultimately develop herd immunity. What exactly is herd immunity and how it bears the potential to provide long-term protection against the coronavirus infection is explained in lay terms. 

The book also separates the fact from fad and argues that the new coronavirus is likely to become endemic to humans in a manner akin to the influenza virus.

In sum, this book presents a critical yet an entertaining account of the 2020 coronavirus outbreak in short and precise terms.

It will serve as an eye-opener for the inquisitive mind.