Coronavirus Guide

Coronavirus: What's in a name?

The Coronavirus is a novel (or new)  virus that has not been previously observed or studied in the human population since its emergence in Wuhan, China in December 2019. When the new virus was first identified, the CDC used the naming convention of SARS-CoV-2 or Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) - Coronavirus (CoV) with the "-2" to describe it as new strain from the previous SARS Coronavirus that was identified in 2003. In addition to this naming convention, the CDC also uses the term "(2019-nCov)" to describe it as a "novel" (or new) Coronavirus that was discovered in 2019. The technical term of (COVID-19) is now used to describe the infectious disease that is derived from this virus in accordance with best practices by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses is charged with the naming of viruses, not the disease derived from them. To learn more about how the coronavirus was named SARS-Cov-2 read their article, “The species Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus: classifying 2019-nCoV and naming it SARS-CoV-2” from the journal, Nature Microbiology.

Social media has also played a role in how the virus is labeled and variations for the disease and the virus can be viewed in the Coronavirus on Twitter section of this guide.

(Image Source: CDC)

News Feeds

Social Media

Twitter

Below are some Twitter accounts and hashtags to use when searching for Coronavirus information on Twitter. As always be wary of information that is not from a trusted source. Consider reviewing the latest information from the World Health Organization (@WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (@CDCgov, @CDCtravel).

Hashtags

Select the hashtag links below to see news threads on the topic.

Note: If you're accessing this guide on your smartphone device and you have the Twitter app downloaded, these links will send you into the Twitter app interface for instant browsing.

#2019nCov         #COVID19        #Covid_19        #Covid-19

#hCov19            #AskWHO         #CDC               #coronavirus 

#COVID

Dashboard Resources

Library Resources

Please note: UNLV students, faculty and staff may be prompted to enter their ACE username and password when accessing the resources below off-campus. If you experience any issues with your ACE login, please contact the UNLV IT HelpDesk at 702-895-0777.

Quick Clinical Queries

These resources will help if you have a clinical question related to COVID-19 during an interaction with a patient.

Searching the Literature

General Articles on COVID-19

Search String:

You can copy and paste the following search string into PubMed. You may be asked to sign in with your UNLV ACE Account credentials to access the results and the articles.

Pro Tip: For the most comprehensive search it is recommended to use a combination of controlled vocabulary (eg. MeSH (medical subject headings) and keywords. Schedule a meeting with a SoML Librarian if you would like to do a more comprehensive search of the COVID-19 literature.

Search:  "COVID 19" OR "SARS CoV 2 Infection" OR "2019 Novel Coronavirus Disease" OR "2019 nCoV Disease" OR "2019-nCoV Diseases" OR "COVID 19 Virus Infection" OR "Coronavirus Disease 2019" OR "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection" OR "SARS Coronavirus 2 Infection" OR "2019 nCoV Infection" OR "COVID 19 Pandemic"

Articles on the Social Impacts of COVID-19

Xenophobia & Racism

Search String:

You can copy and paste the following search string into PubMed or any of the UNLV Library databases. See the links below to go directly to a list of results from pre-run searches. You may be asked to sign in with your UNLV ACE Account credentials to access the results and the articles.

Results from Database Searches:

• Results from PubMed

• Results from Access U.S. Newswire

• Results from Academic Search Premier

• Results from Nexis Uni

• Results from Google Scholar

Related Search Terms and Keywords:

• Coronavirus
• COVID-19
• 2019-nCOV
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)​
• epidemic
• xenophobia
• racism
• sinophobia

History of Viruses and Racism

Racism and xenophobia have historically followed epidemics/pandemics similar to COVID-19. The following search terms and articles can assist in guiding research on historical racism that stems from virus and disease outbreaks. Logging into your ACE account may be required for access. 

Search Terms and Keywords:

• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
• epidemic(s)
• pandemic(s)
• viruses
• xenophobia
• racism
• ethnology
• prejudice

You can find information appropriate for the public from the following websites and guides:

• FamilyDoctor.org has a guide for patients created by doctors.​
• Visit the Southern Nevada Health District’s webpage for local information.​​
  • SNHD has a handout about Coronavirus and COVID-19.
  • You can also follow SNHD on social media.
    • Facebook @SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict
    • Twitter @SNHDinfo
    • Instagram @SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict
• There is a Nevada Health Response to COVID-19 website
• The American Public Health Association has a COVID-19 Prevention webpage.
  • They have print pages in English, Spanish, French and Chinese languages.
• The World Health Organization has new information every day. 
• The CDC has a COVID-19 website.
• The National Institutes of Health have a web guide to the Coronavirus.

See the archived Information for the Public/Informacion para el Publico pages for easy-to-read, plain language information about COVID-19 and general prevention measures.

See the archived Vaccine Information page (English only) for easy-to-read information about the COVID-19 vaccines.

en español

¿Donde Puedo Encontrar Información Creíble?

Usted puedes encontrar mas información para el público desde estos sitios web y guías.

• FamilyDoctor.org tiene una guia para pacientes escrito por médicos.
• ​MedlinePlus tiene una COVID-19 guía para el publico.
• Visita el Southern Nevada Health District sitio web para información local.
  • Usted puede segir SNHD en los medios sociales.
    • Facebook @SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict
    • Twitter @SNHDinfo
    • Instagram @SouthernNevadaHealthDistrict
• ​​El American Public Health Association tiene una hoja informativa de COVID-19.
• El Organización Mundial de la Salud tiene información nueva cada día. 
• El CDC tiene una hoja informativa de COVID-19.

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