Virology, Epidemiology and Control of SARS-CoV-2: A Perspective

SARS-CoV-2 is a human-infecting coronavirus, is the causative agent of COVID-19 disease. The World Health Organization declared this disease as a pandemic on 11 March 2020. The genome of SARS-CoV-2 is ~30kb in length which encodes sixteen nonstructural and four main structural proteins. The structural spike protein enables SARS-CoV-2 to bind to the host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which leads to viral infection. COVID-19 is considered as a respiratory disease that affects just the lungs in most cases. Consequently, the principal approach to prevent this disease is supportive care. Efficient SARS-CoV-2 vaccines and altering treatments such as dexamethasone, tocilizumab and antibody cocktails have been developed in several countries. Due to their potential to increase drug bioavailability, a number of approaches in pharmaceutical nanotechnology are currently being tested against SARS-CoV-2. This includes nano-based products designed for detection, prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Such approaches may help to control this current pandemic and pave the way for prevention and treatment of future coronavirus outbreaks.