Advances in the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, clinical management and prevention of coronavirus disease 2019

Purpose of review The current article reviews the latest information on the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnostics, clinical management and prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recent findings Atypical pneumonia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 emerged in December 2019 in a market in Wuhan, China and rapidly evolved into a pandemic in March 2020. Viral loads of patients with COVID-19 peak in the first week of illness around day 2-4 and hence there is very high-transmission potential causing community outbreaks. Asymptomatic and presymptomatic transmission is a hallmark of COVID-19. Several variants of concern (VOC) have emerged over the last 2 years and Omicron is the predominant variant in many countries. PCR is the standard diagnostic test while rapid antigen test is a useful supplementary test. Serology tests provide indirect evidence of infection 1 -2 weeks after the onset of symptoms. Molnupiravir and nirmatrelvir are oral antiviral agents that may reduce the risk of hospitalization and deaths if administered early to high-risk subjects. Remdesivir, baricitinib, anti-IL-6 tocilizumab and dexamethasone are frequently used for treatment of patients with respiratory failure. Summary COVID-19 pandemic progresses relentlessly with substantial morbidity and mortality especially in unvaccinated subjects. Mass COVID-19 vaccinations are the most important measure for control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Source: Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Tags: INFECTIOUS DISEASES: Edited by Alimuddin Zumla and David S. C. Hui Source Type: research