Did you know a villain in Asterix was named 'Coronavirus' ? | Photo Credit: Twitter

Key Highlights While the virus has been linked to many scientific theories and social perceptions, an uncanny link has been established with the legendary French comic book series – Asterix Believe it or not, a character in a 2017 Asterix Comic series was actually named 'Coronavirus'

The novel coronavirus that emerged in central China at the end of last year has now claimed 908 lives and affected over 40,000 people, according to health officials in China.

Outside mainland China, there have been more than 350 infections reported in nearly 30 other places. There have also been two deaths, one in the Philippines and the other in Hong Kong.

Doctors and nurses are working round the clock to treat patients and authorities in many countries have set up screening and quarantine facilities to contain the virus. As the virus spreads from region to region, fear has gripped the world. Reports, rumours, and remedies of the disease are surfacing on the internet every day, many of which are false and misleading. Many social media users are curious about the origins of the virus, which has pretty much been answered.

Coronavirus gets its name from the word 'corona' which means 'crown' in Latin. While the virus has been linked to many scientific theories and social perceptions, an uncanny link has been established with the legendary French comic book series – Asterix.

Believe it or not, a character in a 2017 Asterix Comic series was actually named 'Coronavirus'. In the issue 'Asterix and the Chariot Race', Coronavirus is shown as a masked Roman villain, who rides a bird-shaped chariot with his sidekick.

Asterix and the Chariot Race, the 37th edition of the series, was released in 2017. It is a popular issue that showed Asterix battling his way across Italy in a chariot race against the Romans.

Written by Jean-Yves Ferri and illustrated by Didier Conrad, the comic shows Asterix and his muscular Obelix participate in a chariot race across Italy. The pair had to contend with the villain called Cornovirus and his partner Bacillus. Interestingly, Bacillius is the Latin term for bacteria.

At the end of the issue, Coronavirus fails to win the race.