The first zoonotic transmission of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was located in China in December 2019 , and it is the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) . The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern on 30 January 2020, and a pandemic on 11 March 2020 . Classified in the Coronaviridae family and Betacoronavirus genus, SARS-CoV-2 is the seventh CoV known to infect humans, along with 229E, NL63, OC43, HKU1, SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) . Coronaviruses cause mild to severe respiratory diseases and have high mutation rates that result in high genetic diversity, plasticity, and adaptability to invade a wide range of hosts .