SARS-CoV-2 mechanisms of action and impact on human organism, risk factors and potential treatments. An exhaustive survey

Abstract

Novel COVID-19 is the most considerable health threat the humanity has faced in decades, with global impact also in the social and economic scopes. Moreover, SARS-CoV-2 involves an unprecedented exciting scientific challenge that has focused all efforts on defeating the new coronavirus. Research results are continuously increasing and updating knowledge about the virus and the disease, and understanding the virus characteristics proves essential in order to identify and attack its weak points, as well as uncovering the host reactions to search for treatments. Through this survey, we will offer the reader a thorough exposition on how SARS-CoV-2 infects and affects the human organism, the wide set of risk factors that impact the susceptibility to and the course of the disease, related biomarkers, and potential drugs and treatments against the virus-host entry, the infection and its consequences. What has been learned over one and a half year is expected to help in facing future global health threats.

KEYWORDS:

• SARS-CoV-2
• COVID-19
• infectious disease
• pandemic
• treatment

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analyzed in this study.