SARS-CoV-2, the Tiny Creature which Scared the Globe.

Abstract

The 7th of January 2020, the novel Coronavirus was identified as the causative agent of COVID19, a potentially deadly disease. The first cases were reported in Wuhan, Hubei province in China, but since the 11th of March 2020, a novel Coronavirus outbreak has been considered as a pandemic. Belonging to Coronavirus family, SARS-CoV-2 is believed to be originated in bat then transmitted to humans by an intermediate animal host. Inhalation or touching infected droplets are the major ways to transmit the disease from human-to-human. Most of the patients are mild or asymptomatic. Symptomatic ones present mainly fever, sore throat, dyspnea, but in certain cases, it can lead to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or even multi-organ dysfunction. Molecular detection methods are at high importance mainly rtqPCR. High-throughput sequencing of the whole genome can also be used, but it is very expensive. CRISPR Cas 12 has just got the initial validation as a detection tool of SARS-CoV-2. Serological tests and CT chest scan are also involved in the diagnosis. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive including isolation of patients. However, many drugs and vaccine candidates are under clinical experimentation. In this review, we prepared a quick summary of SARS-CoV-2 origin, transmission, clinical manifestations and management by highlighting the variable diagnostic methods and potential therapeutic agents, which may prevent the disease or fight the virus. It also provides a bird's eye view about the current outbreak status in Syrian Arab Republic in the Middle East.