Although coronaviruses are endemic in humans and infections normally mild, such as the common cold (caused by human coronaviruses in ~15% of cases), cross-species transmission has produced some unusually virulent strains which can cause viral pneumonia and in serious cases even acute respiratory distress syndrome and death.
Use of the word conforms to best practices for naming new infectious diseases published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2015.
[12] The official permanent names for viruses and for diseases are determined by the ICTV and the WHO's ICD, respectively.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei a 2020 study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham found a more than ten-fold increase in use of expressions such as "Chinese virus" or "Wu flu virus" on Twitter compared to before the outbreak.
The researchers voiced concerns whether such terminology could hinder public health efforts or be stigmatizing.