INTRODUCTION

A novel coronavirus (CoV) named ‘2019-nCoV’ or

‘2019 novel coronavirus’ or ‘COVID-19’ by the
World Health Organization (WHO) oversees the
current outbreak of pneumonia that began at the
beginning of December 2019 near in Wuhan City,
Hubei Province, China.

The world health organization defines the Corona

virus disease (covid-19) is an infectious disease
which is caused by a newly discovered corona
virus. It was formerly known as severe acute
respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-
2). The world health organization named the disease
COVID-19. Covid-19 is an acronym of CO mean
corona, VI means virus, D means disease and 19
mean 2019.
ABOUT DISEASE
Coronavirus is a family of viruses that can cause
illnesses such as the common cold, severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East
respiratory syndrome (MERS).
COVID-19 is a pathogenic virus. From the
phylogenetic analysis carried out with obtainable full
genome sequences, bats occur to be the COVID-19
virus reservoir, but the intermediate host(s) has not
been detected till now.
It is a zoonotic disease which means that it was first
transmitted from animal to human.

Signs and Symptoms

Symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)

may appear 2 to 14 days (about 2 weeks) after
exposure. This time after exposure and before
having symptoms is called the incubation period.
You can still spread COVID-19 before you have
symptoms. This is called presymptomatic
transmission. Common symptoms can include:
 Fever.
 Cough.
 Tiredness.
Early symptoms of COVID-19 may include a loss of
taste or smell. Other symptoms may include:
 Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing.
 Muscle aches.
 Chills.
 Sore throat.
 Runny nose.
 Headache.
 Chest pain.
 Pink eye (conjunctivitis).
 Nausea.
 Vomiting.
 Diarrhea.
 Rash.
The severity of COVID-19 symptoms can range
from very mild to severe. Some people may have
only a few symptoms. Some people may have no
symptoms at all but can still spread it. This is called
asymptomatic transmission.

CAUSES

Infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome

coronavirus 2, also called SARS-CoV-2, causes
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
The virus that causes COVID-19 spreads easily
among people. Study has shown that the COVID-19
virus spreads mainly from person to person among
those in close contact. The virus spreads by
respiratory droplets released when someone with the
virus coughs, sneezes, breathes, sings or talks.
These droplets can be inhaled or land in the mouth,
nose or eyes of a person nearby.
Sometimes the COVID-19 virus can spread when a
person is exposed to very small droplets or aerosols
that stay in the air for several minutes or hours —
called airborne transmission.
The virus also can spread if you touch a surface with
the virus on it and then touch your mouth, nose or
eyes. But the risk is low.
The COVID-19 virus can spread from someone who
is infected but has no symptoms. This is called
asymptomatic transmission. The COVID-19 virus
also can spread from someone who is infected but
hasn't developed symptoms yet. This is called
presymptomatic transmission.
It's possible to get COVID-19 more than once.
A study shows that this disease has an impact on the
mental, physical and social well-being of health
care professionals.
Previous studies on covid-19 also show that three
groups of people are prone to the complication of
covid-19. Those group include young children,
people aged 65 years or older and women who
are pregnant.

Symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days (about 2

weeks) after exposure to the virus. Children have
similar, but usually milder, symptoms than adults.
Older adults and people who have severe underlying
medical conditions are at higher risk of more serious
complication from COVID-19.
 Risk Factors

Risk factors for COVID-19 appear to include:

 Close contact with someone who has COVID-
19, especially someone with symptoms.
 Being coughed or sneezed on by an infected
person.
 Being near an infected person when in an indoor
space with poor airflow.

Risk factors for serious COVID-19 illness:-

Some people are at a higher risk of serious COVID-
19 illness than others. This includes people who are
older, and the risk increases with age.
People with existing medical conditions also may
have a higher risk of serious illness. This includes
people who have:
 Sickle cell disease or thalassemia.
 Serious heart diseases, such as heart failure,
coronary artery disease or cardiomyopathy, and
possibly high blood pressure.
 Chronic kidney, liver or lung diseases.
People with dementia or Alzheimer's are also at
higher risk, as are people with brain and nervous
system conditions such as stroke. Smoking increases
the risk of serious COVID-19 illness. And people
with body mass index in the overweight category
or obese category may have an increased risk as
well.
Other medical conditions that may increase the risk
of serious illness from COVID-19 include:
 Cancer.
  Type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
 Weakened immune system from solid organ
transplants or bone marrow transplants, some
medicines, or HIV.
 Pregnancy.
 Down syndrome.
 Substance use disorders.

Other medical conditions may increase your risk of

serious illness from COVID-19.
 Pathophysiology

Although much has been discovered regarding the

transmission and presentation, less is known about
the pathophysiology of COVID-19.
An overview of the disease pathophysiology has
been shown in given figure below:
 Pathophysiology of COVID-
19. CXCL-10, C-X-C motif
chemokine ligand 10; IFN,
interferon; IL, interleukin;
MCP-1, monocyte
chemoattractant protein-1;
MIP-1α, macrophage
inflammatory protein-1α;
SARS-CoV-2, severe acute
respiratory syndrome
coronavirus-2; TNF-α, tumour
necrosis factor-α; G-CSF,
granulocyte colony-stimulating
factor; GM-CSF, granulocyte-
macrophage colony-stimulating
factor.

Diagnosis

Viral Tests: -
Viral tests look for a current COVID-19 infection.
They use respiratory samples, such as a swab from
inside our nose or saliva from our mouth, to
determine if we are currently infected with SARS-
CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Depending
on the testing site, results may be available within a
few minutes, a few hours or may take several days if
the sample is sent to a laboratory for analysis.
 NAATs, such as PCR tests are most often
performed in a laboratory. These tests should not
be used if we have tested positive in the last 90
days (about 3 months).
 Antigen tests or at-home tests are rapid tests and
produce results quickly. Sometimes these tests
need to be repeated if they show a negative
result to best detect infection.

Antibody Tests to Detect Past

Infection: -
Antibody tests are performed by drawing blood and
conducting a laboratory test to check for antibodies that
would only be present if we had a past infection of SARS-
CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. An antibody test
should not be used to determine current infection as it can
take our body one to three weeks after infection to make
antibodies. If we think we were previously infected with
COVID-19, we should speak with our doctor about our
symptoms or exposure to infected individuals.
Antibody testing is not recommended to determine
immunity or whether we need to get vaccinated.