The occurrence and persistent pandemic of 2019 coronavirus pneumonia (COVID-19), caused by the infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has taken a big toll on global public health. The development of virus detection techniques and its application played an important role in health management, including screening, identification and treatment of patients, and slowing down the spread of virus. This review briefly summarizes the biological characteristics of SARS-CoV-2, and introduces in detail the SARS-CoV-2 detection techniques developed and used worldwide. Perspectives on the follow-up development of virus detection techniques were presented, with the aim to facilitate medical diagnosis, public health protection, disease prevention and control.