Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2: Genomic Observations and Emerging Therapies

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the etiologic agent of the disease COVID-19, first emerged in late December 2019 in China, and has subsequently become a pandemic with unprecedented clinical impact. The virus appears to more severely affect older individuals and those with co-morbid medical conditions, specifically those with chronic lung disease, obesity, heart failure and diabetes. Fortunately, children appear to be less severely affected, though mortality and severe disease have been reported. In addition, children's role in spreading the disease (potentially through asymptomatic shedding of the virus) remains an important area requiring further investigation. The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 has highlighted the importance of metagenomic next generation sequencing as a tool for pandemic investigation. Though no proven therapeutic options currently exist, ongoing genomic and clinical trial data may help inform the identification and development of both repurposed and novel therapeutic agents for use in this disease.