Coronaviruses can make humans and animals sick. Some coronaviruses can cause illness similar to the common cold and others can cause more serious diseases, including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). This new coronavirus originated in Hubei Province, China and the disease outbreak is named COVID-19.

The coronavirus is most likely to spread from person-to-person through:

• direct close contact with a person while they are infectious

• close contact with a person with a confirmed infection who coughs or sneezes, or

• touching objects or surfaces (such as door handles or tables) contaminated from a cough or sneeze from a person with a confirmed infection, and then touching your mouth or face.

Most infections are only transmitted by people when they have symptoms. These can include fever, a cough, sore throat, tiredness and shortness of breath.

Practising good hand and sneeze/cough hygiene is the best defence against most viruses. You should:

• wash your hands frequently with soap and water, before and after eating, and after going to the toilet

• cover your cough and sneeze, dispose of tissues, and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser

• and if unwell, avoid contact with others (stay more than 1.5 metres from people).