MERS
It should stop coming as a surprise to many, but people still believe that COVID-19 is the first-ever coronavirus. In fact, MERS is a sort of predecessor of COVID-19, and it is a type of coronavirus that is prevalent in Saudi Arabia. While it has been localized mainly in that part of the world, with an infection total of around 2,499 people and 861 deaths globally, its mortality rate is what is concerning in the grand scheme of things.
MERS (also known as MERS-CoV) had a mortality rate of around 37.2%, which is way higher than the 2% to 3% that is reported for COVID-19. The infection from the MERS virus acts similarly to the one from COVID-19, with fever, coughing, and difficulty breathing. However, it is known to stem from camels. Unfortunately, it is still around, and there is no specific treatment for it or any known vaccine, with a few prototypes in development.
