Infectious disease

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is a respiratory infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The transmission of COVID-19 occurs through liquid particles that are expelled through the mouth or nose, when they come into contact with eyes, nose or mouth. The virus spreads more easily in closed spaces or crowds. The symptoms are usually mild to severe, and may require hospitalization or even be fatal. The most common are cough, fever and tiredness. In the most severe cases, dyspnea, loss of mobility or speech and chest pain may appear, which can lead to atypical pneumonia. In most cases the only treatment provided are analgesics and antipyretics. In the most severe cases, oxygen, corticosteroids and antivirals are used. As prevention, the use of a mask, hand washing, and avoiding closed spaces, in addition to vaccination, are recommended. The diagnosis of COVID-19 disease is carried out by PCR, antigen test or antibody test.

SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in December 2019 in the city of Wuhan, Hubei province, China, and was sequenced and isolated in January 2020. It is associated with an outbreak of atypical pneumonia (COVID-2019). On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 epidemic a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Nowadays, more than 400 million cases and more than 5 million deaths have been diagnosed worldwide. It is considered a zoonotic disease, since it originated in an animal species that subsequently spread to humans.