The genetic landscape of COVID-19: A South Asian perspective

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm in the ongoing pandemic. The virus responsible for COVID-19 disease is 'severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2' SARS-CoV-2, an enveloped RNA beta-coronavirus from the family Coronaviridae. There have been similar beta-coronavirus disease outbreaks previously: Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS - 2002) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS - 2012) epidemics. SARS-CoV-2 origins have been traced to bat reservoirs. A virus with a high capacity for mutation, SARS-CoV-2 poses unique challenges both in the current form of disease control and management, while also leaving the door open for future novel diseases and pandemics. An understanding of the virion structure and genomic organisation will help us in understanding their origins and likely course of future evolution. Moreover, novel cost-effective methodologies for genetic surveillance may help in mitigating the emergence of these viral infections in future. In this manuscript, the authors have detailed the unique aspects of the SARS-CoV-2 virus genome and its clinical implications.