An overview on COVID-19: reality and expectation

Hamed, Manal A.

Recently, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2), commonly known as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread across China and around the world. By the declaration of WHO, COVID-19 outbreak considered as a public health problem of international concern. The aim of this study is to provide a comprehensive view on COVID-19 and the future expectations to control virus progression. Patients with liver disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity are more susceptible to the incidence of COVID-19 infection. So, there is a rapid need for disease diagnosis, vaccine development, and drug discovery to detect, prevent, and treat this sudden and lethal virus. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is considered as a rapid, accurate, and specific tool for disease diagnosis. Under this emergency situation that the world facing against COVID-19, there are about 15 potential vaccine candidates tested globally based on messenger RNA, DNA-based, nanoparticle, synthetic, and modified virus-like particle. Certain drugs that are clinically approved for other diseases were tested against COVID-19 as chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, ivermectin, favipiravir, ribavirin, and remdesivir. Convalescent plasma transfusion and traditional herbal medicine were also taken into consideration. Due to the absence of effective treatment or vaccines against COVID-19 so far, the precautionary measures according to WHO’s strategic objectives are the only way to confront this crisis. Governments should adopt national medical care programs to reduce the risk of exposure to any future viral outbreaks especially to patients with pre-existing medical conditions.