NAME: Anoosha Farooqui

CLASS: 2nd year (4th Semester)

DEPARTMENT: Pharmacy
ROLL NO.: 501-S19-001
SUBJECT: Microbiology and Immunology
COURSE CODE: PHARM 416
Cr. Hr.: 3+1
SUBMITTED TO: Miss Rafia
DATE OF SUBMISSION: 18th January 2021
TOPIC: COVID-19
ABSTRACT:
COVID-19 is a type of coronavirus disease belonging to the family Coronaviridae. The sickness is thought
to begin from bats and was spread to individuals through an obscure medium in Wuhan, China. Ideally,
the condition is spread by inhalation or close interaction with infected droplets that have an incubation
period between two and fourteen days. Moreover, the symptoms of the disease include fever, cough,
sneezing, sore throat, difficulty breathing, and tiredness. Coronaviruses are enveloped, positive sense,
single-stranded RNA viruses and employ a complicated pattern of virus genome length RNA replication
as well as transcription of genome length and leader containing sub genomic RNAs.

Currently, the world is encountering a battle with a novel corona virus, the SARS-Cov2 (severe acute
respiratory syndrome corona virus), a close relative of the previously-known SARS-Cov.
Following its emergence, it has created a pandemic situation worldwide within no time owing to its
alarming high rate of transmission. SARS-Cov2 is a single-stranded RNA virus with four major
constituent proteins - spike protein (S), membrane protein (M), envelope protein (E), and
nucleocapsid protein (N). As the name implies, the infection majorly induces pneumonia
accompanied by life-threatening acute respiratory distress

The pathogenesis of the SARS‐CoV2 virus initiates through recognition of the angiotensin‐converting
enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor of the host cells by the receptor‐binding domain (RBD) located at the spikes
of the virus. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) is the receptor for SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2.
Species-specific differences in receptors are relevant in understanding the host range of COVID. Host cell
receptors are also important in understanding cell tropism and the subsequent implications in the
pathogenesis. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, is abundant on the apical
side of alveolar epithelial cells, alveolar monocytes and macrophages in the lungs (consistent with the
early injury in the distal airway), enterocytes of the small intestine, vascular endothelial cells, heart, and
kidneys, which are the common target organs involved in the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2.
To bring this pandemic to an end, a large share of the world needs to be immune to the virus. The safest
way to achieve this is with a vaccine. Presently, there are several SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in clinical trials.
Pfizer and BioNTech have submitted their covid-19 vaccine candidate to the US Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization, after concluding a phase III trial.

The mRNA vaccine candidate, BNT162b2, was found to be 95% effective 28 days after the first dose. The
phase III trial evaluated 170 confirmed cases of covid-19, 162 of which were observed in the placebo
group. There were 10 severe cases, nine of which were in the placebo group.

REFERENCES:
https://www.hsj.gr/medicine/current-situation-of-coronavirus-disease-covid19-review-
article.php?aid=29729

https://febs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1873-3468.14038

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0192623320959090

https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4552

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