Covid-19: origin, pathogenesis, transmission, clinical aspects and current therapeutic strategies

Introduction: In December 2019, the novel 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in China caused a global outbreak and is a major public health problem; and the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 constituted an International Public Health Emergency. The objective is to inform about COVID-19, highlighting its history, genomic organization of the novel coronavirus, pathogenesis, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, transmission, control, prevention and current therapeutic strategies. Outline: This is a narrative review, in which searches were carried out for articles in the PubMed and Science Direct databases. Implications: COVID-19 is highly pathogenic, and no specific treatment or vaccine is currently available. Given these facts, countless countries have adopted extensive control measures to reduce the transmission of the disease from person to person. Conclusion: Various studies are underway to identify potential treatments for COVID-19. Currently, controlling the infection is the best way to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.