Abstract
The current outbreak of novel Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) caused by
severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a major pandemic
situation and a catastrophe for humans. COVID-19 is a severe infectious disease
particularly of the respiratory system characterized by fatal complications such
as severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (SARS), pneumonia, cardiac
arrhythmia, kidney failure/ multiple organ failure and even death. Since
its discovery, the SARS-CoV-2 has spread across 213 countries or territories,
causing more than 8.5 million people with a rising death toll over 5.5 million
people (as of June 2020, WHO). In fact, the current looming crisis of COVID-19
has become an increasingly serious concern to public health. It has affected
lives of millions of people with severe impact on health systems and economies
globally. Since there are no specific drugs and/or vaccines available so
far, combating COVID-19 remains to be a major challenging task. Therefore,
development of potential and effective treatment regimens
(prophylactic/therapeutic) is urgently required which could resolve the
issue. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge about the coronavirus,
disease epidemiology, clinical manifestations and risk factors, replication of
the virus, pathophysiology and host immune responses of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The therapeutic interventions and prophylactic measures along with precautionary
measures are the frontline approaches that could be undertaken in order to
control and prevent the spread of the deadly and highly contagious COVID-19 are
also detailed herein.
Key words
Coronavirus - COVID-19 - SARS-CoV-2 - Pneumonia - Respiratory infection - Anti-retrovial