The mysterious virus first emerged in the winter in eastern China, a never-before-seen pathogen that would rattle the world's sense of safety and ignite a global panic.
In the months that followed, hundreds of people began seeking medical treatment because they were coughing, struggling to breathe and, in some cases, approaching death.
Scientists racing to quell the outbreak determined the source was a novel strain of coronavirus. The World Health Organization called for immediate action to prevent the global health threat from sweeping across multiple continents and killing thousands.
It was early 2003, the beginning of the battle against severe acute respiratory syndrome, more commonly known as SARS. The SARS outbreak was the first deadly epidemic caused by a coronavirus.
"It was a tremendous concern," said Alan Rowan, a public health professor at Florida State University involved in Florida's response to the SARS outbreak. "It was a novel virus, and it was frightening."
Much like the strain of coronavirus currently spreading across the world, the SARS virus prompted people to hoard face masks, cancel trips to Asia and institute massive quarantines amid fears that the disease would become entrenched.
But eight months after SARS began circulating, it was contained. The virus died out.
The stamping out of SARS has been lauded as one of the biggest recent public health victories, achieved with a strong and swift response and a dose of good luck.
But as cases of the new coronavirus swell, it appears less likely that history is going to repeat itself. The virus' path suggests containment will be much more difficult than with SARS and the harm much greater, experts say.
On Feb. 9, the death toll from COVID-19 surpassed that of SARS. In the days since, it has climbed even higher.
