scholarly journals Epidemiology, virology, and clinical features of severe acute respiratory syndrome -coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2; Coronavirus Disease-19)

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 119-124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Su Eun Park
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
World Health ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
Current Outbreak ◽  
Respiratory Tract Sample ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

A cluster of severe pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan City, Hubei province in China emerged in December 2019. A novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) was isolated from lower respiratory tract sample as the causative agent. The current outbreak of infections with SARS-CoV-2 is termed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO). COVID-19 rapidly spread into at least 114 countries and killed more than 4,000 people by March 11 2020. WHO officially declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020. There have been 2 novel coronavirus outbreaks in the past 2 decades. The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002–2003 caused by SARS-CoV had a case fatality rate of around 10% (8,098 confirmed cases and 774 deaths), while Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) caused by MERSCoV killed 861 people out of a total 2,502 confirmed cases between 2012 and 2019. The purpose of this review is to summarize known-to-date information about SARS-CoV-2, transmission of SARS-CoV-2, and clinical features.

scholarly journals A comparison of COVID-19, SARS and MERS

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9725 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingting Hu ◽  
Ying Liu ◽  
Mingyi Zhao ◽  
Quan Zhuang ◽  
Linyong Xu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Hubei Province ◽  
World Health ◽  
Atypical Pneumonia ◽  
Organization Studies ◽  
Optimal Method ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

In mid-December 2019, a novel atypical pneumonia broke out in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China and was caused by a newly identified coronavirus, initially termed 2019 Novel Coronavirus and subsequently severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As of 19 May 2020, a total of 4,731,458 individuals were reported as infected with SARS-CoV-2 among 213 countries, areas or territories with recorded cases, and the overall case-fatality rate was 6.6% (316,169 deaths among 4,731,458 recorded cases), according to the World Health Organization. Studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 is notably similar to (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus) SARS-CoV that emerged in 2002–2003 and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) that spread during 2012, and these viruses all contributed to global pandemics. The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to rapidly spread a pneumonia-like disease from Hubei Province, China, throughout the world has provoked widespread concern. The main symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include fever, cough, myalgia, fatigue and lower respiratory signs. At present, nucleic acid tests are widely recommended as the optimal method for detecting SARS-CoV-2. However, obstacles remain, including the global shortage of testing kits and the presentation of false negatives. Experts suggest that almost everyone in China is susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and to date, there are no effective treatments. In light of the references published, this review demonstrates the biological features, spread, diagnosis and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 as a whole and aims to analyse the similarities and differences among SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV to provide new ideas and suggestions for prevention, diagnosis and clinical treatment.

scholarly journals Venous Thromboembolism and Its Association with COVID-19: Still an Open Debate

Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (10) ◽  
pp. 506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierpaolo Di Micco ◽  
Vincenzo Russo ◽  
Corrado Lodigiani
Keyword(s):  
Venous Thromboembolism ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
World Health ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
The World ◽  
Open Debate ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Pharmacological Thromboprophylaxis

Asreported by the World Health Organization, a novel coronavirus (COVID-19) was identified as the causative virus of new viral pneumonia of unknown etiology by Chinese authorities on 7 January 2020. The virus was named COVID-19 and because of its ability to cause severe acute respiratory syndrome (i.e., SARS) this infection has also been defined as SARS-CoV2.Furthermore, an association between COVID-19 infection and venous thromboembolism has been reported in several series around the world.For this reason, methods used to improve diagnostic tools, pharmacological thromboprophylaxis and type of anticoagulants are discussed in this expert opinion.

scholarly journals TO STUDY THE CLINICAL PROFILE OF SUSPECTED CASES OF COVID 19 PRESENTED TO EMERGENCY IN TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL.

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Rajvi Dave ◽  
Bhavesh Jarwani ◽  
Sanket Nandani ◽  
Tirth Patel
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Tertiary Care ◽  
World Health ◽  
Disease Spread ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Global Public Health ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Spread Of Infection

BACKGROUND : Coronavirus disease 2019(COVID 19) is an illness which is associated with the novel coronavirus known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV -2).On December 2019, Wuhan City in China, became the epicenter of this pandemic. On March 17 2020 Ahmedabad reported its first positive case. On January 2020, Chinese scientists identified this as a novel coronavirus, temporarily labelled as, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) [1]. Its name was then changed to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization in February 2020 as the disease spread worldwide [2]. COVID 19 pandemic has posed a huge threat to global public health .The clinical features of COVID-19 are very diverse, ranging from asymptomatic state to acute respiratory distress syndrome and multi organ dysfunction. The common clinical features include fever, cough, sore throat, headache, fatigue, headache, myalgia and breathlessness. Emergency workers carry a huge responsibility in this pandemic. We have to provide early triage and management of patients with suspected or confirmed infection in which inflammatory markers play an important role. More importantly we have to try to prevent the spread of infection and also be prepared to tackle such large footfalls in ED

scholarly journals Safety and Efficacy of Chloroquine/Hydroxychloroquine in SARS-CoV-2 Infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (8) ◽  
pp. 1718-1722
Author(s):  
Alberto Boretti
Keyword(s):  
Case Fatality Rate ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
World Health ◽  
Fatality Rate ◽  
Late Infection ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients ◽  
Overwhelming Evidence ◽  
Health Organization

This work summarizes the available evidence of the use of chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine (CQ/HCQ) in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Most of the published works indicate CQ/HCQ is likely effective against SARS-CoV-2 infection, almost 100% in prophylaxis and mild-medium severity cases and 60% in late infection cases. The percentage of positive works is larger if those works conducted under a probable conflict of interest are excluded from the list. Despite this overwhelming evidence from independent studies, the use of CQ/HCQ is currently limited or prevented in many western countries, based on a very singular examination of the science. The case of a work published in late May 2020, despite being openly defective and then retracted, prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to ban the use of CQ/HCQ. This position has not yet rectified, thanks to the results of the not less questionable RECOVERY trial, where very sick patients were administered more than double the dose, over more than double the time, recommended for asymptomatic patients in current protocols of other countries, where CQ/HCQ are used for asymptomatic and mild but not severe pneumonia critically ill patients. While the case fatality rate does not depend only on therapies, it is finally shown based on the number of cases and fatalities per million and the case fatality rate as the western countries enforcing the ban on CQ/HCQ did not perform better, but much worse, than other countries, also because of therapies.

scholarly journals The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS CoV-2) in Dentistry. Management of Biological Risk in Dental Practice

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 3067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberto Lo Giudice
Keyword(s):  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
World Health ◽  
Dental Practice ◽  
Risk Of Infection ◽  
Specific Protocol ◽  
Route Of Transmission ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Spread Of Infection

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China, and the etiological agent of Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). This infection spreads mainly through direct contact with Flügge micro droplets or core droplets that remain suspended as aerosol. Moreover, it has been reported that infected subjects, both with and without clinical signs of COVID-19, can transmit the virus. Since the infection typically enters through mouth, nose, and eyes, dentistry is one of the medical practices at highest risk of infection due to the frequent production of aerosol and the constant presence of saliva. The World Health Organization (WHO) has suggested that only emergency/urgent procedures should be performed during the coronavirus outbreak. Considering the virus’ route of transmission, a specific protocol should be applied to reduce the risk of infection in addition to measures that prevent the spread of infection from a patient to another person or medical tools and equipment (cross-infection). This protocol should be implemented by modifying both patient management and clinical practice, introducing particular devices and organizational practices. This paper aims to discuss and suggest the most appropriate procedures in every aspect of dental practice to reduce infection risk.

scholarly journals Emergence of a Novel Coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: Biology and Therapeutic Options

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Suliman Khan ◽  
Rabeea Siddique ◽  
Muhammad Adnan Shereen ◽  
Ashaq Ali ◽  
Jianbo Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Clinical Features ◽  
Genome Sequencing ◽  
Therapeutic Strategies ◽  
Therapeutic Options ◽  
Highly Pathogenic ◽  
The Third ◽  
Current Outbreak ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

ABSTRACT The new decade of the 21st century (2020) started with the emergence of a novel coronavirus known as SARS-CoV-2 that caused an epidemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Wuhan, China. It is the third highly pathogenic and transmissible coronavirus after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) emerged in humans. The source of origin, transmission to humans, and mechanisms associated with the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 are not yet clear, however, its resemblance to SARS-CoV and several other bat coronaviruses was recently confirmed through genome sequencing-related studies. The development of therapeutic strategies is necessary in order to prevent further epidemics and cure infections. In this review, we summarize current information about the emergence, origin, diversity, and epidemiology of three pathogenic coronaviruses with a specific focus on the current outbreak in Wuhan, China. Furthermore, we discuss the clinical features and potential therapeutic options that may be effective against SARS-CoV-2.

scholarly journals IVERMECTIN AS ADJUVANT TO HYDROXYCHOLOROQUINE IN PATIENTS RESISTANT TO STANDARD TREATMENT FOR SARS-CoV-2: RESULTS OF AN OPEN-LABEL RANDOMIZED CLINICAL STUDY

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Naveen Kishoria ◽  
S.L Mathur ◽  
Veeram Parmar ◽  
Rimple Jeet Kaur ◽  
Harish Agarwal ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Study ◽  
Standard Treatment ◽  
World Health ◽  
Unknown Etiology ◽  
Open Label ◽  
Randomized Clinical Study ◽  
The World ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The City

A cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown etiology was reported from the city of Wuhan, in the Hubei province of China, in December 2019. A novel coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the causative agent of the disease which was subsequently termed as the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by the World Health Organization (WHO). SARS-CoV-2 mainly affects the lower res-piratory tract and manifests as pneumonia in humans.

scholarly journals An atypical case: RT-PCR-negative, sero-positive covid-19 patient

Pneumologia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 107-114
Author(s):  
William Suriady ◽  
Andika Chandra Putra ◽  
Wiwien Heru Wiyono ◽  
Mohammad Fahmi Alatas ◽  
Bettia Bermawi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
False Negative ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
World Health ◽  
Diagnostic Process ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Atypical Case ◽  
Polymerase Chain ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

Abstract The novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a public health emergency of international concern. The first confirmed COVID-19 case in Indonesia was announced on 2 March 2020, and later on, 11,192 confirmed cases were reported as of 3 May. The World Health Organization has stated that performing a real-time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) specific for SARS-CoV-2 on specimens from the upper and the lower respiratory tracts, especially nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal swabs, is the standard diagnostic procedure for COVID-19. In Indonesia, we also use other diagnostic tests, such as rapid antibody tests specific for SARS-CoV-2. Herein, we report an atypical case of COVID-19 and describe the diagnostic process, the clinical course, with progression to severe pneumonia on Week 3 of illness and the case management. We also try to highlight the possibility of false-negative RT-PCR tests.

scholarly journals Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 genomes from across Africa reveals potentially clinically relevant mutations

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Modeline N. Longjohn ◽  
Olivia S. Egbule ◽  
Samuel O. Danso ◽  
Eugene E. Akujuru ◽  
Victor T. Ibubeleye ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Phylogenetic Analyses ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Etiologic Agent ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sequence Alignments ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractSARS-CoV-2 is a betacoronavirus, the etiologic agent of the novel Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The World Health Organization officially declared COVID-19 as a pandemic in March 2020 after the outbreak in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Across the continents and specifically in Africa, all index cases were travel-related. Understanding how the virus’s transportation across continents and different climatic conditions affect the genetic composition and the consequent effects on transmissibility, infectivity, and virulence of the virus is critical. Thus, it is crucial to compare COVID-19 genome sequences from the African continent with sequences from selected COVID-19 hotspots/countries in Asia, Europe, North and South America and Oceania.To identify possible distinguishing mutations in the African SARS-CoV-2 genomes compared to those from these selected countries, we conducted in silico analyses and comparisons. Complete African SARS-CoV-2 genomes deposited in GISAID and NCBI databases as of June 2020 were downloaded and aligned with genomes from Wuhan, China and other SARS-CoV-2 hotspots. Using phylogenetic analysis and amino acid sequence alignments of the spike and replicase (NSP12) proteins, we searched for possible vaccine coverage targets or potential therapeutic agents. Identity plots for the alignments were created with BioEdit software and the phylogenetic analyses with the MEGA X software.Our results showed mutations in the spike and replicate proteins of the SARS-Cov-2 virus. Phylogenetic tree analyses demonstrated variability across the various regions/countries in Africa as there were different clades in the viral proteins. However, a substantial proportion of these mutations (90%) were similar to those described in all the other settings, including the Wuhan strain. There were, however, novel mutations in the genomes of the circulating strains of the virus in African. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study reporting these findings from Africa. However, these findings’ implications on symptomatic or asymptomatic manifestations, progression to severe disease and case fatality for those affected, and the cross efficacy of vaccines developed from other settings when applied in Africa are unknown.

scholarly journals Modeling the COVID-19 outbreaks and the effectiveness of the containment measures adopted across countries

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward De Brouwer ◽  
Daniele Raimondi ◽  
Yves Moreau
Keyword(s):  
Herd Immunity ◽  
Case Fatality ◽  
Severe Pneumonia ◽  
Optimal Level ◽  
World Health ◽  
Reproduction Ratio ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
Containment Measures ◽  
Health Organization

AbstractOn March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak, originally started in China, a global pandemic. Since then, the outbreak has indeed spread across all continents, threatening the public health of numerous countries. Although the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of COVID-19 is relatively low when optimal level of healthcare is granted to the patients, the high percentage of severe cases developing severe pneumonia and thus requiring respiratory support is worryingly high, and could lead to a rapid saturation of Intensive Care Units (ICUs). To overcome this risk, most countries enacted COVID-19 containment measures. In this study, we use a Bayesian SEIR epidemiological model to perform a parametric regression over the COVID-19 outbreaks data in China, Italy, Belgium, and Spain, and estimate the effect of the containment measures on the basic reproduction ratio R0.We find that the effect of these measures is detectable, but tends to be gradual, and that a progressive strengthening of these measures usually reduces the R0 below 1, granting a decay of the outbreak. We also discuss the biases and inconsistencies present in the publicly available data on COVID-19 cases, providing an estimate for the actual number of cases in Italy on March 12, 2020. Lastly, despite the data and model’s limitations, we argue that the idea of “flattening the curve” to reach herd immunity is likely to be unfeasible.

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