Table 1  Comparison of SARS and COVID-19.
Items  SARS  COVID-19
First occurrence  Nov. 16th, 2002 in Foshan, Guangdong  Dec. 07th, 2019 in Wuhan,Hubei
Pathogen  SARS-CoV  SARS-CoV-2
Intermediate host   Paguma larvata  Pangolin, Mink (Possible)
Definitive host   Rhinolophus sinicus  Rhinolophus affinis (Possible)
Virus type  RNA virus  RNA virus
Species pathogen  β-coronavirus  β-coronavirus
Total DNA sequence length of pathogen  29,751  29,903
Latency  1–4 days on average  3–7 days on average
Susceptible people  Young adults  People who have not been exposed to SARS-CoV-2
Male–female patient ratio  1:1.25  2.70:1
Mortality  9.60%  2.10%
Clinical symptoms  Fever, cough, myalgia, dyspnea, and diarrhea  Fever, fatigue, and dry cough
Propagation mode  Droplets or close contacts  Droplets or close contacts
Major regional distribution  Beijing, Guangdong, Shanxi in China  Hubei, especially Wuhan in China
Diagnostic methods  RT-PCR, rRT-PCR, RT-LAMP, rRT-LAMP, Coronavirus detection kit  RT-PCR, rRT-PCR, RT-LAMP, rRT-LAMP, Coronavirus detection kit
Treatment  Glucocorticoid and interferon  Lopinavir/ritonavir (in testing)