Abstract:

On 31 December 2019, a cluster of pneumonia cases of unknown aetiology was reported in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. Soon afterwards, China's scientists have defined a new coronavirus as the essential causative agent. The outbreak has quickly developed affecting other parts of China and outside the country. At the early period of outbreak the new virus called as 2019-nCoV. On February 12, 2020, the novel coronavirus has been renamed severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The official name for the disease causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak is now referred to as COVID-19. Cases have now been determined in a lot of countries in Asia, but also in Australia, Europe, North America, and Africa. A total of 78 811cases of COVID-19 infection were notified up until 23 February 2020 in the world. As of February 23, 2020, 77 042 confirmed cases and 2445 deaths have been reported in China. The clinical view of 2019-nCoV infection ranges from asymptomatic infection to severe pneumonia with acute respiratory distress syndrome, septic shock and multi-organ failure, that can outcome in death. There is no specific antiviral drug for treatment and an approved vaccine for COVID-19 yet.

Keywords: