Novel coronavirus 2012, or London1_novel CoV 2012, is the tentative name of a coronavirus. Early media reports compared the virus to SARS.^[1] The virus first emerged in the Middle East, and was discovered on September 2012 in a Qatari patient who had recently traveled to Saudi Arabia.^[2] He is being treated for the respiratory disease, which has led to renal failure.^[3] The first known case was a Saudi Arabian who died in early 2012.^[1] The World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that it is "engaged in further characterizing the novel coronavirus" and that it has "immediately alerted all its Member States about the virus and has been leading the coordination and providing guidance to health authorities and technical health agencies."^[4] The United Kingdom's Health Protection Agency is working on the genetic sequence of the virus, based on the sequence obtained from the Qatari case.^[1][5] Virologist Ron Fouchier has speculated that the virus might originate from bats.^[6]

Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Health was concerned that the virus might affect the October 2012 Hajj, the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, as Muslims making the Hajj may have been infected.^[7]

On November 30, 2012 WHO stated that there had been 9 laboratory confirmed cases, 5 cases (including 3 deaths) from Saudi Arabia and 2 cases (both fatal) from Qatar.^[8] Two of the Saudi Arabia cases were from the same family and from that family at least one additional person presented similar symptoms but tested negative for the novel coronavirus.^[9] This virus is being called 'Saudi SARS' in informal settings to differentiate it from the Hong Kong/Canadian SARS.

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