冠狀病毒是重要的人類和動物共通感染病原體。2019 年12 月在中國湖北省武漢市發現了一種新型冠狀病毒(2019 novel coronavirus、2019-nCoV)，導致在中國武漢及鄰近地區引起迅速蔓延的肺炎病例流行。隨後在世界其他國家也有越來越多的病例。2020 年2 月，世界衛生組織定名為2019 年新型冠狀病毒感染症(Coronavirus Disease 2019，簡稱COVID-19)。為了與2003 年嚴重急性呼吸症候群(Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome、SARS) 區隔，此2019 新型冠狀病毒致病原又稱為SARS-CoV-2，並與中東呼吸症候群冠狀病毒感染症(Middle East Respiratory Syndrome、MERS) 等為二十一世紀人類最重要之冠狀病毒感染症。本文針對COVID-19 的流行病學、臨床表現、診斷治療和預防作介紹。

Coronaviruses are important pathogens common to humans and animals. In December 2019, a novel coronavirus (2019 novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV) was discovered in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, which caused a rapid spread of pneumonia cases in Wuhan and adjacent areas in China. Subsequently, there were more and more cases in other countries of the world. In February 2020, the World Health Organization named 2019 Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). In order to distinguish it from the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, SARS), this 2019 new coronavirus pathogen is also known as SARS-CoV-2, as well as the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, MERS) are the most important three human coronavirus infections in the 21st century. This article introduces the epidemiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of COVID-19.