Hokello Joseph, Sharma Adhikarimayum Lakhikumar, Shukla Girish C, Tyagi Mudit
Department of Basic Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Kampala International University-Western Campus, P.O Box 71, Bushenyi, Uganda.
Center for Translational Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Ann Transl Med. 2020 Dec;8(24):1686. doi: 10.21037/atm-20-5272.
The novel SARS-CoV-2 is responsible for causing the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), a systemic infection in humans. Ever since it was first detected in December 2019, the number of confirmed cases has continued to increase. Within a short period, this disease has become a global issue, and therefore it is characterized as a pandemic. The current understanding and explanations are based on epidemiological, clinical and physiological observations. Besides, it remains a great challenge, as much remains to be understood about this new disease-causing virus. Therefore, we seek to provide an overview of SARS-CoV-2, including its classification, origin, genomic structure, replication cycle, transmission, pathogenesis, clinical aspects, diagnosis, treatments, prevention and vaccine options. We conducted a literature search for the articles published up to August 2020 using the keywords 'SAR-CoV-2' and 'COVID19' in medical databases; PubMed, google scholar, EMBASE, and web of science. Based on the information collected, the emerging COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, exhibits strong infectivity but less virulence in terms of severity of disease and mortality rates in certain age groups. It inflicts more damage in terms of peoples' health and well-being, social life, and global economic impacts. Unfortunately, there is no adequate global and standard response to this pandemic to date, and each country is facing a crisis based on its situation, expertise, and hypotheses. While there is no effective therapy and vaccine against the novel SARS-CoV-2 yet, preventive measures are the only tool available to our disposal to control the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ongoing and future research is focused more on developing standard treatment strategies, and efficacious vaccines, which would be useful to tackle this pandemic globally.
新型严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）导致了目前正在爆发的冠状病毒病19（COVID-19），这是一种人类全身性感染疾病。自2019年12月首次检测到该病毒以来，确诊病例数量持续增加。在短时间内，这种疾病已成为一个全球性问题，因此被定性为大流行病。目前的理解和解释基于流行病学、临床和生理学观察。此外，这仍然是一个巨大的挑战，因为对于这种新型致病病毒仍有许多有待了解之处。因此，我们试图概述SARS-CoV-2，包括其分类、起源、基因组结构、复制周期、传播、发病机制、临床方面、诊断、治疗、预防和疫苗选择。我们使用医学数据库（PubMed、谷歌学术、EMBASE和科学网）中的关键词“SAR-CoV-2”和“COVID19”对截至2020年8月发表的文章进行了文献检索。根据收集到的信息，由SARS-CoV-导致的新出现的COVID-19具有很强的传染性，但就某些年龄组的疾病严重程度和死亡率而言，其毒力较低。它在人们的健康和福祉、社会生活以及全球经济影响方面造成了更大的破坏。不幸的是，迄今为止，全球对这一大流行病没有充分的、标准的应对措施，每个国家都根据自身情况、专业知识和假设面临着危机。虽然目前还没有针对新型SARS-CoV-2的有效治疗方法和疫苗，但预防措施是我们可用来控制COVID-19大流行传播的唯一手段。正在进行的和未来的研究更多地集中在制定标准治疗策略和有效的疫苗，这将有助于在全球应对这一大流行病。
