Coronavirus (CoV) are named for projections that look like solar corona or halos.
There are four broad groups:
| gamma and delta | infect birds and pigs |
| alpha | mammalian |
| beta | mostly bat and rodent based, HKU1, OC43, MERS and SARS-CoV-1 Outbreak (2002-2004), SARS‑CoV‑2 |
Beta Coronaviruses
Within the beta genus there is a subgenus called sarbecovirus (SARS Betacoronavirus). SARS-CoV-1 Outbreak (2002-2004) and SARS‑CoV‑2 are both sarbecoviruses.