The COVID-19 resource centre, established by Elsevier in January 2020, provides free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus. The centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect and grants permission for all COVID-19-related research to be made available in PubMed Central and other public repositories, with unrestricted reuse and analysis rights. This review focuses on the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and pathogenesis, emphasizing its high transmissibility and tissue tropism. It highlights the importance of animal models in understanding pathogenesis, vaccine development, and therapeutic testing. The review also discusses the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, its characteristics, and the current state of the pandemic. Key aspects include the virus's genome structure, tissue tropism, and immune evasion strategies. The review further explores the clinical presentation of COVID-19, age-associated severity, and the role of innate immune evasion. Finally, it discusses animal models, including mouse and nonhuman primate models, and their contributions to understanding and testing treatments and vaccines.The COVID-19 resource centre, established by Elsevier in January 2020, provides free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus. The centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect and grants permission for all COVID-19-related research to be made available in PubMed Central and other public repositories, with unrestricted reuse and analysis rights. This review focuses on the mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 transmission and pathogenesis, emphasizing its high transmissibility and tissue tropism. It highlights the importance of animal models in understanding pathogenesis, vaccine development, and therapeutic testing. The review also discusses the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, its characteristics, and the current state of the pandemic. Key aspects include the virus's genome structure, tissue tropism, and immune evasion strategies. The review further explores the clinical presentation of COVID-19, age-associated severity, and the role of innate immune evasion. Finally, it discusses animal models, including mouse and nonhuman primate models, and their contributions to understanding and testing treatments and vaccines.