Kaswa Ramprakash, Govender Indiran
Department of Family Medicine and Rural Health, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha.
S Afr Fam Pract (2004). 2020 Jun 26;62(1):e1-e5. doi: 10.4102/safp.v62i1.5123.
The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an emergent public health crisis threatening the current world health establishment. The SARS-Co-2 was first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019. There have been about 6.5 million reported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and about 350 000 reported deaths throughout the world within the last 6 months from the onset of the epidemic. The virus is primarily transmitted by inhalation or contact with infected droplets. The COVID-19 patient usually presents with fever, cough, sore throat and breathlessness. Currently, available data indicate that the majority of people with the disease have mild symptoms, while about 20% present with moderate-to-severe disease. About 5% of these may progress to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome and multi-organ dysfunction. To date, there is no recommended medical treatment, and supportive measures are a crucial part of management. The case fatality rate of SARS-CoV-2 is lower than that of its two coronavirus predecessors, that is, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). The full impact of this new pandemic on health, social and economic well-being of humankind is yet to be ascertained.
严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的爆发是一场危及当前世界卫生体系的突发公共卫生危机。2019年12月，SARS-CoV-2在中国湖北省武汉市首次被发现。自疫情爆发以来的过去6个月里，全球报告了约650万例2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）病例，约35万人死亡。该病毒主要通过吸入或接触受感染的飞沫传播。COVID-19患者通常表现出发热、咳嗽、喉咙痛和呼吸急促。目前，现有数据表明，大多数患者症状较轻，约20%的患者表现为中重度疾病。其中约5%可能进展为肺炎、急性呼吸窘迫综合征和多器官功能障碍。迄今为止，尚无推荐的药物治疗方法，支持性措施是治疗的关键部分。SARS-CoV-2的病死率低于其两种冠状病毒前身，即严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒（SARS-CoV）和中东呼吸综合征冠状病毒（MERS-CoV）。这场新的大流行对人类健康、社会和经济福祉的全面影响尚待确定。
