![]() Until 2020, six CoVs were known to infect humans, including human CoV 229E (HCoV-229E), HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, HCoV-HKU1, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. SARS-CoV-2 is considered one of the seven members of the CoV family that infect humans ( 3), and it belongs to the same lineage of CoVs that causes SARS however, this novel virus is genetically distinct. CoVs belong to the family Coronaviridae (subfamily Coronavirinae), the members of which infect a broad range of hosts, producing symptoms and diseases ranging from the common cold to severe and ultimately fatal illnesses, such as SARS, MERS, and, presently, COVID-19. The primary cluster of patients was found to be connected with the Huanan South China Seafood Market in Wuhan ( 2). On 11 February 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced the official designation for the current CoV-associated disease to be COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2. Health workers worldwide are currently making efforts to control further disease outbreaks caused by the novel CoV (originally named 2019-nCoV), which was first identified in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, on 12 December 2019. In this review, we address epidemiological, diagnostic, clinical, and therapeutic aspects, including perspectives of vaccines and preventive measures that have already been globally recommended to counter this pandemic virus. Since no antiviral drug or vaccine exists to treat or prevent SARS-CoV-2, potential therapeutic strategies that are currently being evaluated predominantly stem from previous experience with treating SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and other emerging viral diseases. Early diagnosis by real-time PCR and next-generation sequencing has facilitated the identification of the pathogen at an early stage. Codon usage studies suggest that this novel virus has been transferred from an animal source, such as bats. ![]() Compared to other emerging viruses, such as Ebola virus, avian H7N9, SARS-CoV, and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), SARS-CoV-2 has shown relatively low pathogenicity and moderate transmissibility. ![]() ![]() Compared to diseases caused by previously known human CoVs, COVID-19 shows less severe pathogenesis but higher transmission competence, as is evident from the continuously increasing number of confirmed cases globally. Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is suspected to originate from an animal host (zoonotic origin) followed by human-to-human transmission, the possibility of other routes should not be ruled out. Recently, a new type of viral infection emerged in Wuhan City, China, and initial genomic sequencing data of this virus do not match with previously sequenced CoVs, suggesting a novel CoV strain (2019-nCoV), which has now been termed severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In recent decades, several new diseases have emerged in different geographical areas, with pathogens including Ebola virus, Zika virus, Nipah virus, and coronaviruses (CoVs). ![]()
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