Medical code descriptors and guidance may use terms related to COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2, so you need to watch for both to avoid missing relevant codes and instructions.

COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019, is the name for an infectious disease that most commonly causes fever, fatigue, and a dry cough, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Aches and pains, headache, sore throat, and loss of taste or smell are among other possible symptoms.

Most people do not require special treatment to recover from COVID-19, and some patients who test positive do not experience symptoms. Older people and those with underlying medical problems are more prone to require medical attention, but patients of all ages may become seriously ill with COVID-19, possibly leading to death. On March 11, 2020, WHO characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic, meaning the worldwide spread of a new disease. The term pandemic does not refer to the threat level involved.

COVID-19 is caused by a virus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states. SARS-CoV-2 and the virus that caused the 2003 outbreak of SARS are genetically related, but the diseases are different.

Reference: AAPC