CDC: Coronavirus has been around since the mid-1960s, but has different types

March 2, 2020

ATLANTA, GA (WCTV) - According to the

, "Human Coronaviruses" were first detected in the mid-1960s with different types of the virus being detected since.

The CDC also says there are four main groupings of the virus: alpha, beta, gamma and delta. Within the four groupings, there are seven types of coronavirus that can infect humans:

1. 229E (alpha coronavirus)

2. NL63 (alpha coronavirus)

3. OC43 (beta coronavirus)

4. HKU1 (beta coronavirus)

There are also three other types of Coronavirus (Not considered "human Coronavirus"):

5. MERS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, or MERS)

6. SARS-CoV (the beta coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS)

7. SARS-CoV-2 (the novel coronavirus that causes coronavirus disease 2019, or COVID-19)

The CDC says there is no human coronavirus vaccine to protect against it, and there are no specific treatments.

To learn more about coronavirus, click the link at the top of this page in the "Related Documents" section (if on mobile, it will be found below this story.)

You can find more information on the Coronavirus and COVID-19 by