Publication: COVID-19: All Facts, No Myth
Date
2020
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Kathmandu University
Abstract
ABSTRACT
On December 31, 2019, the China Health Authority alerted WHO about 27 cases
of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan City. It was subsequently named
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease
as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease has now become pandemic.
Current review was done to summarize information on COVID-19 published in
various scientific works.
Electronic databases containing medical articles viz., MEDLINE/PubMed, Google
Scholar etc were searched using the Medical Subject Headings ‘COVID-19’, ‘2019-
nCoV’, ‘coronavirus’ and ‘SARS-CoV-2’ during antecedent one year. All study designs
were incorporated to harvest clinical, laboratory, imaging, and hospital course data.
The intermediate host of the virus is still unknown. Respiratory droplets produced
by the patient is main source of transmission. SARS-CoV-2 invades the airway
epithelium by binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor with
Coronavirus spike (S) protein. Most common symptoms are fever (98%), dry
cough (77%), and dyspnea (63.5%). Later, complications like acute respiratory
distress syndrome, septic shock etc may occur. Advanced age and co-morbidities
like Diabetes have higher mortality otherwise Case Fatality Rate is 2-3%. RT-
PCR is the diagnosis of choice. Since no universally accepted registered drug or
FDA approved vaccine has come by now, prevention is the key. Hands should be
regularly cleaned with soap or alcohol based sanitizer and in public, Nose and
Mouth should be covered with face-mask and social distance of one meter should
be maintained. While Vaccines are expected by early 2021, we should not forget
to take comprehensive measures to prevent future outbreaks of zoonotic origin.
KEY WORDS
2019-nCoV, COVID-19, Pandemic, SARS-CoV-2
Description
Panday DR,1 Panday KR,2 Rauniar GP1
1Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics,
2Department of Basic and Clinical Physiology
BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences
Dharan, Nepa
Keywords
2019-nCoV, COVID-19, Pandemic, SARS-CoV-2