Coronavirus Pandemic: An Update on the Transmission, Diagnosis, Clinical Features and Managment
Saad S. Alqahtani *
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Santhosh Joseph *
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Otilia J. F. Banji
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Abdulkarim M. Meraya
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed A. Albarraq
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Hafiz A. Makeen
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
David Banji
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Mamoon H. Syed
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Ayesha Yasmeen
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Ambreen Shoaib
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Nawazish Alam
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Khalid O. Alfarouk
Al-Ghad International College for Applied Medical Sciences, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia and and Hala Alfarouk Cancer Center, Department of Evolutionary Pharmacology and Tumor Metabolism, Khartoum 11123, Sudan.
Nabeel Kashaan A. Syed
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
Sarfraz Ahmed
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia and Pharmacy Practice Research Unit, College of Pharmacy, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
The novel coronavirus, designated as “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2” (SARS-CoV-2), is a new coronavirus that has evolved as a global pandemic recently, and it has created a widespread interest in coronaviruses causing human infections. This article compares the pathogenesis, distribution, clinical characteristics, and treatment of the three highly pathogenic coronaviruses that caused epidemics, namely, “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus” (SARS), “Middle East Respiratory Syndrome” (MERS), and SARS-CoV-2. This narrative review is prepared using the data compiled from literature search using relevant MeSH terms. The clinical manifestation of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) is mild with relatively low fatality rate than the other two coronaviruses; however, its overall capability to cause explosive spread of the disease and reach a pandemic level is greater. Unlike SARS and MERS, COVID-19 has no accepted treatment protocols at present. Extensive studies and analyses on COVID-19 are necessary before making strong recommendations for or against any particular treatment, although some recent medications have shown great potential. COVID-19 still needs further investigation, where all of the lessons gained from previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS and the experience from the countries that managed COVID-19 seem to be the best approaches to counteract this new global hazard at present until effective preventive vaccines are available in sufficient quantity for mass vaccination programs worldwide.
Keywords: Coronavirus, MERS, SARS, SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19, epidemic, outbreak