Epidemiological profile of the COVID-19 pandemic and characteristics of it’s etiological agent: Review

Abstract

In 2019, China, there was a pneumonia outbreak of unknown etiology. Due to this, the chinese government conducted na epidemiological investigation in order to identify the causing agent, that came to be named SARS-CoV-2, a new type of coronavirus, originator of the COVID-19 disease. The coronaviruses are part of a big viral family, named after the viral spike, that resemble a crown. They belong to the Nidovirales order, Coronaviridae family and Orthocoronavirinae subfamily, they are also RNA viruses and thus being more predisposed to suffer mutations and possess high transmissibility rates, and infections being able to cause everything from a mild flu to serious syndromes. Studies have shown a 96% similarity between SARS-CoV-2 and BAT-CoV, a coronavirus found in bats. COVID-19 stood out in public health, due to the high number of cases in a short time, eventually leading to a pandemic. In China, on the first 30 days, 11821 cases were confirmed, with 259 deaths, and soon after this it was found that the virus had not just spread in China, but in other countries too. The treatment is symptomatic, and preventive measures advocate for non-drug control, like isolation, social distancing, hygiene and wearing masks. This review has the goal to compile relevant information about the etiological agent and the disease’s epidemiological profile.