What does COVID-19 stand for?

COVID-19 is the name of the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Viruses and the diseases they cause have different names.

The coronavirus disease of 2019 was named COVID-19 by the WHO in a press release on February 11, 2020.

The WHO press release of February 11 explained why a name was needed for this new disease: “to enable discussion on disease prevention, spread, transmissibility, severity, and treatment.”