Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract

The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The situation is evolving rapidly. Clinical trials and investigations to learn more about the virus, its origin, and how it affects humans are ongoing. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a potentially severe acute respiratory infection caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).[1] The virus was identified as the cause of an outbreak of pneumonia of unknown cause in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, in December 2019.[2] The clinical presentation is that of a respiratory infection with a symptom severity ranging from a mild common cold-like illness, to a severe viral pneumonia leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome that is potentially fatal.