What do bats have to do with coronaviruses? As it turns out, the adaptation to flight may be what turned bats into perfect virus reservoirs. One of these viruses, the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19, likely jumped the species barrier to humans causing the initial 2019 outbreak in China. This pathway reviews the history of the outbreak from the perspective of medical professionals working to accurately diagnose and treat patients, scientists racing to understand the source of the outbreak, and public health officials implementing solutions to control its spread.