COVID-19 Report: SARS-CoV-2 Virus and Global Impact Analysis

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the COVID-19 pandemic, beginning with its emergence in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. It details the naming of the virus (SARS-CoV-2) and the disease (COVID-19) by the WHO, along with the rapid global spread. The report examines the origin of SARS-CoV-2, linking it to the coronavirus family and potential zoonotic origins. It explores the virus's mechanisms and symptoms, particularly its impact on the respiratory system, including the role of ACE2 receptors and associated complications. The report also covers the various symptoms, severity levels (asymptomatic carriers, acute respiratory disease, and pneumonia), and diagnostic methods. Furthermore, it discusses current treatment approaches, the importance of isolation, and the ongoing search for effective antiviral treatments and vaccines. Finally, it highlights preventative measures such as social distancing and hygiene practices.

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Introduction
In December 2019, a strange disease broke out in Wuhan, China. The disease had
symptoms similar to pneumonia, and it was suspected to have originated from the
Huanan Seafood market (He, Deng & Li, 2020). On January 12th 2020, the World
Health Organization (WHO) named the virus at 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-
nCoV). On February 11th, the WHO met and declared the disease an international
public health epidemic. The disease was formally named Corona Virus (COVID-19).
The disease spread rapidly within Wuhan City, and by mid-January, the virus had
spread to other parts of China. This forced a lockdown in significant cities in the
country. By March 25th 2020, the disease had spread to almost all parts of the globe,
and it had killed more than 15,000 people and infected more than 800,000 others.
Origin of SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that belongs to the coronavirus family of viruses. This is
the third known zoonotic coronavirus disease after the Middle East Respiratory
Syndrome(MERS), and the SARS also broke out in China (Zhou et al., 2020). Many
scientists indicate that the virus came from the Huanan seafood market, which is one
of the largest market trading in wild meat. A study conducted by Sun P et al., (2020),
showed that the virus was a chronic disease between a coronavirus from a bat and
another type of coronavirus whose origin is unknown. Scientists carried out studies
and established that the sequence of homology between Covid -19 and SARS-CoV
was 79% (She et al., 2020), This, therefore, means that current evidence indicates that
the virus originated from bats. Still, the intermediate host is yet to be identified.
Mechanisms and symptoms of COVID-19 on the respiratory system
The receptor of the SARS-CoV-2 is angiotensin-converting enzyme two called
(ACE2) (Shetty, 2020). In the human lungs, ACE2 is expressed as type 1 and type 2

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alveolar epithelial cells. When COVID -19 attacks a human body, it targets the ACE2
and hence leading to damage to the alveolar cells. The damage of alveolar cells brings
about a series of complications such as problems in breathing and therefore causing
severe inflammation of the lungs or even death (Zhang et al., 2020). The alveolar cells
are also found in tissues such as the heart, liver, kidney, and digestive organs. These
organs are also attacked by the virus and hence explaining why some patients also
suffer complications such as myocardial injury, arrhythmia, and kidney
complications.
Symptoms
COVID-19 is associated with several symptoms. One of these symptoms is that
the virus is high fever. A person with the illness will experience abnormal upper body
temperature and fatigue. A person might also start coughing and sneezing as well as
experiencing breathing difficulties (Li, 2020). The symptoms of the virus as very
similar to that of pneumonia and MERS-CoV.
Complications and severity degree of covid-19 on the respiratory system
COVID-19 appears as an asymptomatic carrier state, acute respiratory disease,
and pneumonia. It takes approximately 14 days for symptoms of the disease to appear
and for the virus to be tested successfully. During this period, a person can transmit
the virus to other people. This, therefore, explains the high rate of infections which
are multiplying globally. Clinical manifestation of the virus is a protein which
includes an asymptomatic carrier referred to as ARD as well as pneumonia whose
severity is varying (Zhu et al., 2019). First asymptomatic cases of the virus were
diagnosed using the positive viral nucleic acid test, but there was no presence of
COVID-19 symptoms like fever (Ji et al., 2020). After that, patients with ARD were
tested, and laboratory results showed the presence of COVID-19, and the patients

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were experiencing respiratory symptoms. The chest computed tomography (CT) did
not show any signs of respiratory illness.
The third patient with pneumonia symptoms later defined as COVID-19 showed
both symptoms of pneumonia as well as other respiratory symptoms when a test was
done by radiography (Wrapp et al., 2020). These were the patients experiencing
severe forms of the disease, and they struggled in breathing properly. The patients had
to use ventilators for breathing, and they had to be placed under intensive care for
them to survive. The virus also causes pulmonary fibrosis, especially after patients
recover from the infection. However, a solution to this condition is yet to be
determined. CT scans done on the patients with the virus found out that the lung
patterns had hypertrophy of the pulmonary vessels. The lungs are enlarged in size,
especially in the areas with more pronounced interstitial impairment. The pulmonary
veins are also enlarged, and the calibre was also reported to be reduced.
Treatment of COVID-19
Patients who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 are put into isolation. The tests are
conducted, and if the virus is not detected, they are put into isolation for a further 14
days, and then they are tested again. Patients who are identified to be positive are put
under care and observation by medical experts. SARS-CoV-2 is an emerging virus,
and hence no antiviral treatment has been found yet (Zhang et al., 2020). Some
antiviral drugs have been tested to reduce the viral load, but most of them have not
been effective. Researchers are continuing with efforts to find a vaccination against
the virus and to find an effective treatment for the virus. People who have a strong
immune system can fight off the virus, but those with a compromised immune system
succumb to the virus. Also, people with underlying medical conditions like diabetes

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and hypertension are greatly affected by the virus and hence are quickly succumbing
to the virus.
Protection
COVID-19 is very contagious, and it spreads through the air and coming into
contact with contaminated surfaces. Minimizing people’s contact is the primary
protection that many countries’ are undertaking to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
People who are suspected of contracting the virus are therefore put in self-isolation to
avoid infecting others. People are also advised to observe social distancing and to
avoid handshakes. Some countries have taken extreme measures of ensuring that all
citizens stay at home to control the spread of the virus.

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