Understanding COVID-19, Genome, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Vaccination

Mostafa, Eslam; El-Sawah, Aisha; Magdy, Esraa; Sayed, Ahmed; El-Azab, Safaa; Natei, Ayman; Husein, Asmaa; Hassan, Salma; Mostafa, Menna; Omran, Mohamed M.

doi:10.21608/jbaar.2020.106102

Understanding COVID-19, Genome, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Vaccination

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Biotechnology/Bimolecular Chemistry Program, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt Giza, 12613, Egypt

² Molecular Biotechnology Program, Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Helwan, Egypt Ain Helwan, 11795, Cairo, Egypt

³ Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Helwan University, Helwan, Egypt Ain Helwan, 11795, Cairo, Egypt

10.21608/jbaar.2020.106102

Abstract

In December 2019, an acute respiratory disease called COVID-19 from the coronavirus family has spread in Wuhan city in China. Due to the fast transmission of this disease and the number of cases increase, it received the whole world’s attention. And on 30 January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially announced that COVID-19 is epidemic. In March, WHO declared that it is pandemic due to the high number of cases confirmed globally. SARS-CoV-2, that has single-stranded (positive-sense) RNA with structural proteins (S, E, M, N), has common manifestations like dry cough, fever, and fatigue as the common cold. These symptoms range from moderate to severe that cause death, even there are also asymptomatic patients. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can be transmitted through person-to-person transmission. Though there are two different ways for its entry to the host cell, which are endosomal or plasma membrane fusion, both require ACE2 receptor attachment. There are different diagnostic techniques for SARS-CoV-2 ranging from RT-PCR and Immuno-tests to advanced methods such as CT and crisper technology. No therapies to COVID-19 have been developed so far, but researchers are currently working on developing therapies specific to this novel coronavirus. Furthermore, many of the repurposed drugs that have the potential to either attenuate the symptoms or prevent the viral entry/replication are still in preclinical and clinical trial phases. Besides the vaccination that has been developed whether they are live attenuated, subunit, or nucleic acid vaccines.

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