Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) gained worldwide infamy in late 2019 as the trigger of the respiratory tract disease, COVID-19.
What started as reports of pneumonia cases in December 2019, quickly grabbed the world’s attention. In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the novel coronavirus a global emergency. Within the first 6 months, the pandemic caused nearly 500,000 deaths, strained worldwide health systems, and led to immeasurable disruption of global economies.1-3