Resolution of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

ABSTRACT

Introduction

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in China in December, 2019, and declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) on March 11, 2020. The current management of COVID-19 is based generally on supportive therapy and treatment to prevent respiratory failure. The effective option of antiviral therapy and vaccination are currently under evaluation and development.

Areas covered

A literature search was performed using PubMed between December 1, 2019–June 23, 2020. This review highlights the current state of knowledge on the viral replication and pathogenicity, diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, and management of COVID-19. This review will be of interest to scientists and clinicians and make a significant contribution toward development of vaccines and targeted therapies to contain the pandemic.

Expert opinion

The exit strategy for a path back to normal life is required, which should involve a multi-prong effort toward development of new treatment and a successful vaccine to protect public health worldwide and prevent future COVID-19 outbreaks. Therefore, the bench to bedside translational research as well as reverse translational works focusing bedside to bench is very important and would provide the foundation for the development of targeted drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 infections.

KEYWORDS:

• SARS-CoV-2
• COVID-19
• severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2
• diagnosis
• treatment

Article highlights

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first detected in China in December 2019 and declared as a pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020.

• This review highlights the epidemiology, mode of transmission, pathogenesis, and clinical characteristics, diagnostics, and therapeutic intervention of COVID-19.

• The underlying mechanisms of the SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis remain unidentified, and specific drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are being developed.

• The current management of COVID-19 is based generally on supportive therapy and treatment to prevent respiratory failure.

• The effective option of antiviral therapy and vaccination is currently under evaluation and development.

• An exit strategy for a path back to normal life is required, which should involve a multi-prong effort towards development of new treatment and vaccine to protect public health worldwide and future COVID-19 outbreaks.

Gender may play an essential role in disease pathogenesis.

Acknowledgments

Research carried out at TN laboratories are funded by the GrowMedtech, The Royal Society and University of Bradford. KH is supported by a project grant by the GrowMedtech awarded to TN. CW is funded by a Ph.D studentship. The authors express sincere thanks to Prof. Mohammad Razzaque. Department of Oral Health Policy & Epidemiology, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA for his valuable suggestions to improve the paper. Table 1 reprinted from Clinical Immunology, Vol 215, Yuki K, Fujiogi M, Koutsogiannaki S., COVID-19 pathophysiology: A review, 2020, with permission from Elsevier.

Declaration of interest

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants, or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.