Overview of the risk factors, prevention and management of SARS-COV-2

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2, the novel corona virus that originated in Wuhan, China in late December is a positive single stranded RNA virus. COVID-19, a disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 is characterized by symptoms such as fever, sore throat, dry cough, loss of sense of taste and smell etc. The symptoms may range from asymptomatic, mild, moderate, severe and critical. The virus enters through its spike protein (S) to the ACE2 receptors. The understanding of the virus is crucial to devise treatment strategies and vaccines. COVID-19 disease has spread rapidly on a global scale within a short period of time. On January 30, 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) has identified it as a pandemic and declared it as an epidemic of international concern. Countries went into lockdown, and different countries have adopted various strategies to contain the disease. Non-pharmacological as well as pharmacological treatments are being widely practiced. Treatment or management of the disease depends on the severity of the disease. Currently, there is no single treatment, and the vaccines are still under clinical trials. Patients with comorbidities are at higher risk for developing secondary infections such as pneumonia. The study seeks to combine all the relevant published papers and articles to provide an overview about the virus, highlighting its similarities and differences with the previous variant (SARS-CoV), associated risk factors, symptoms, available treatment strategies and finally recommendations on how to improve the current situation. The current scenario of Bangladesh is described and three case studies are presented in this review.