Current Status and Future Perspective of Coronavirus Disease 2019: a Review

Abstract

A novel infectious disease named coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) first emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019 and rapidly spread worldwide. In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared a global pandemic which is the worst global public health crisis in over 100 years. On 14 June 2020, almost eight million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 430,000 deaths globally were reported. Over 200 countries have been affected so far. COVID-19 is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the absence of specific therapy and vaccine, effective infection control intervention, particularly self-hygiene and social distancing, is the only way to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The lessons learned from this pandemic will be useful for successful management of the second wave of COVID-19 which is expected in autumn or winter.