Compared with SARS-CoV-1 or MERS, SARS-CoV-2 is much less virulent.

• A. True
• B. False
• C. Not sure
• D. Equally virulent

Answer: (A)

Virulence is about how harmful a pathogen is per infection—the likelihood of severe illness or death in an individual. SARS-CoV-2 generally causes less severe disease per infected person than SARS-CoV-1 or MERS, which had higher death rates and more frequent severe outcomes for those infected. Because of that lower per‑infection harm, the virus is considered less virulent. It makes up for this to some extent with much higher transmissibility, leading to a large total burden, but the intrinsic severity of disease in a typical infection is lower compared with the other two viruses. So the statement is true: on average, SARS-CoV-2 is less virulent, even though its spread can still cause substantial morbidity and mortality due to the sheer number of infections.