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1Department of Epidemiology, The Tamil Nadu Dr. M.G.R. Medical University, No. 69, Anna Salai, Guindy, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600032 India.
Insights
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak requires urgent drug development. This review evaluates COVID-19 patterns and treatments to control the global health emergency.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in Wuhan, China, in December 2019.
- The disease rapidly spread globally, infecting over 700,000 people and causing a significant death toll, comparable to the 2002-2003 SARS-CoV outbreak.
- The escalating crisis declared a public health emergency necessitates the urgent development of effective and affordable treatments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and evaluate the epidemiological patterns of COVID-19.
- To assess and analyze various treatment plans implemented for managing COVID-19 patients.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines.
- Comprehensive literature search across major databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and HERDIN.
- Utilized a combination of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and free-text terms for article retrieval.
Main Results:
- Highlighted the causative agent of COVID-19 and elucidated its transmission dynamics.
- Discussed ongoing research efforts aimed at combating this complex viral disease.
- Emphasized the critical need for developing enhanced therapeutic strategies.
Conclusions:
- Presented an epidemiological overview of COVID-19 based on available data.
- Summarized information on treatments reported to be effective in controlling the outbreak.
- Underscored the importance of continued research and therapeutic development for pandemic control.
Background:
China has been fighting the epidemic of pneumonia-like diseases first detected for over a month in the city of Wuhan in December 2019. The disease epidemic is caused by a novel coronavirus, called COVID-19, which has now infected more than 700,000 people worldwide. With a death toll approaching that of China's SARS-CoV outbreak in 2002 and 2003, 2019-nCoV has contributed to an international emergency in public health, placing all health organizations on high alert. Such large numbers of infected and deceased people require an urgent need for reliable, inexpensive, and cheap drugs to control and reduce the outbreak.
Objective:
To systematically review and evaluate the pattern of COVID-19 and the treatment plans.
Methods:
This systematic review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The articles were searched from databases like PubMed, the Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect, and the Health Research and Development Information Network (HERDIN) combining MeSH and free-text terms.
Results:
This analysis highlights the agent of COVID-19 and the possible transmission. The current research taking place to overcome this complex disease and the urgent need to develop improved therapeutics are also discussed.
Conclusion:
Herein, we present an epidemiological overview of the currently available information on the treatment claimed to have helped to bring the situation under control.
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