The number of people who've gotten the Wuhan coronavirus just surpassed the worldwide total of the entire SARS pandemic

The total number of coronavirus cases worldwide has surpassed that of the entire SARS pandemic.
Between November 2002 and July 2003, SARS killed 774 people and infected 8,096.
Coronaviruses are zoonotic diseases, meaning they pass from animals to humans . Both this virus and SARS likely originated in bats, then jumped to people in China.
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Since December, the Wuhan coronavirus has killed at least 170 people and infected more than 8,100 across 20 countries. The virus likely emerged at a wet market in Wuhan, China, where it jumped from animals to people, just like the coronavirus responsible for the SARS outbreak did nearly two decades ago.

The latest spike in confirmed coronavirus cases (from about 7,000 to 8,149 in the last 24 hours) pushes the total number of people infected above the final case count from the 8-month SARS pandemic 17 years ago.

Between November 2002 and July 2003, SARS (which stands for severe acute respiratory syndrome) killed 774 people and infected 8,096 across 29 countries. Experts called SARS "the first pandemic of the 21st century."

FILE PHOTO: A nurse wearing protective gear walks outside a Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Clinic (SARS) in suburban Toronto, April 24, 2003. REUTERS/Mike Cassese/File Photo Mike Cassese/Reuters

The coronavirus outbreak isn't yet considered a pandemic, despite its rapid spread. But on Thursday, the World Health Organization declared it a global public-health emergency.

Comparing the coronavirus outbreak to other viruses

Here's how the Wuhan outbreak compares to SARS and other major outbreaks in the last 50 years.

wuhan coronavirus compared to other major viruses long table Shayanne Gal/Business Insider

According to experts, the new coronavirus likely originated in bats. More than 75% of emerging diseases originate in animals; these are called zoonotic diseases, meaning they can jump from animals to people.

"Infectious diseases will continue to emerge and re-emerge. I think it's part of the world we live in now," Eric Toner, a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, previously told Business Insider .

Health officials have observed person-to-person transmission of the novel coronavirus in China, Japan, and recently the United States . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the immediate health risk to Americans is still considered low, however.

Aria Bendix contributed reporting to this story.

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