Department of Natural Sciences, Faculty of Pure and Applied Sciences, Precious Cornerstone University, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Department of Biochemistry, Osun State University, Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
Afr J Reprod Health. 2020 Jun;24(s1):142-153. doi: 10.29063/ajrh2020/v24i2s.18.
The Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) is a highly transmittable and pathogenic viral infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which emerged in Wuhan, China and spread around the world. As of 19 June 2020 data from the World Health Organization (WHO) have shown that more than 8457305 confirmed cases have been identified in more than 200 countries, with the number of cases cutting across all continents. On 30th January 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 as the sixth public health emergency of international concern. Genomic analysis revealed that SARS-CoV-2 is phylogenetically related to severe acute respiratory syndrome-like (SARS-like) bat viruses; therefore, bats could be the possible primary reservoir. The intermediate source of origin and transfer to humans is not known, however, the rapid human-to-human transfer has been confirmed widely via droplets or direct contact, and infection has been estimated to have mean incubation period of 6.4 days. Currently, controlling infection to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2 is the primary intervention being used. However, public health authorities should keep monitoring the situation closely, as the more we can learn about this novel virus and its associated outbreak, the better we can respond.
新型冠状病毒病（COVID-19）是由严重急性呼吸系统综合征冠状病毒 2（SARS-CoV-2）引起的一种高传染性和高致病性的病毒性感染，该病毒于中国武汉出现并在全球范围内传播。截至 2020 年 6 月 19 日，世界卫生组织（WHO）的数据显示，在 200 多个国家/地区已确认超过 8457305 例确诊病例，各大陆均有病例发生。2020 年 1 月 30 日，世界卫生组织宣布 COVID-19为第六次国际关注的公共卫生紧急事件。基因组分析表明，SARS-CoV-2 在系统发育上与严重急性呼吸系统综合征样（SARS 样）蝙蝠病毒有关；因此，蝙蝠可能是其可能的原始宿主。然而，中间来源和向人类的转移尚不清楚，但是已经广泛证实了通过飞沫或直接接触的快速人与人之间的传播，并且据估计感染的平均潜伏期为 6.4 天。目前，控制感染以防止 SARS-CoV-2 的传播是主要的干预措施。但是，公共卫生当局应密切监测情况，因为我们对这种新型病毒及其相关爆发了解得越多，我们就能更好地应对。
