> The strain has caused alarm because of its connection to severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars), which killed nearly 650 people across mainland China and Hong Kong in 2002-03. Three people have so far died in the current outbreak, which has spread to Thailand, Japan and South Korea.<p>Coronavirus was also responsible for Middle East respiratory syndrome:<p><a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/middle-east-respiratory-syndrome-coronavirus-(mers-cov)" rel="nofollow">https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/middle-east...</a><p>Coronavirus is also a member of the same group giving rise to the common cold:<p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronavirus</a>