PEI is in contact with U.S. officials overseeing the COVID-19 response and offers resources relevant to PEI members. 
COVID-19 is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past.
The disease is caused by a virus named SARS-CoV-2 by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses.
COVID is short for coronavirus disease. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include fever, runny nose, cough and breathing trouble. Most develop only mild disease. But some people, usually those with other medical complications, develop more severe symptoms, including pneumonia, which can be fatal.