COVID-19: A Global Emergency

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 , caused by SARS-CoV-2, is a global pandemic. It began at the end of December, 2019 and has spread into more than 227 countries, posing challenges in biomedical sciences, genetics, clinical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, psychiatry and mental health, engineering and technology, medical supply chains and management, education regarding risk mitigation and disaster relief, etc. As of September 28, 2020, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases was 33,217,895; the astounding number of deaths is 999,273 according to the World Health Organization (WHO), making this disease a global emergency as bad as the 1917-1918 global Spanish Flu. This paper introduces other viral pandemic diseases, including influenza (Flu), SARS, Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and Ebola viral disease (EVD) to compare with COVID-19. The symptoms of COVID-19, epidemiological and clinical features, infection and spread, testing, and the development of therapeutics and vaccines for COVID-19 are presented. The similarities of COVID-19 to other viral pandemics, distinct features, especially novelties of COVID-19 are clarified. Progresses in treatments, various challenges of COVID-19, and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic are also discussed.