The outbreak of COVID-
Author Information's Soumik hira- OPEN
Abstract
In late December 2019, a previous unidentified coronavirus, currently named as the 2019 novel coronavirus#, emerged from Wuhan, China, and resulted in a formidable outbreak in many cities in China and expanded globally, including Thailand, Republic of Korea, Japan, United States, Philippines, Viet Nam, and our country (as of 2/6/2020 at least 25 countries). The disease is officially named as Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19, by WHO on February 11, 2020). It is also named as Severe Pneumonia with Novel Pathogens on January 15, 2019 by the Taiwan CDC, the Ministry of Health and is a notifiable communicable disease of the fifth category. COVID-19 is a potential zoonotic disease with low to moderate (estimated 2%–5%) mortality rate. Person-to-person transmission may occur through droplet or contact transmission and if there is a lack of stringent infection control or if no proper personal protective equipment available, it may jeopardize the first-line healthcare workers. Currently, there is no definite treatment for COVID-19 although some drugs are under investigation. To promptly identify patients and prevent further spreading, physicians should be aware of the travel or contact history of the patient with compatible symptoms.
1. INTRODUCTION
In late December 2019, an outbreak of a mysterious pneumonia characterized by fever, dry cough, and fatigue, and occasional gastrointestinal symptoms happened in a seafood wholesale wet market, the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market, in Wuhan, Hubei, China.1 The initial outbreak was reported in the market in December 2019 and involved about 66% of the staff there. The market was shut down on January 1, 2020, after the announcement of an epidemiologic alert by the local health authority on December 31, 2019. However, in the following month (January) thousands of people in China, including many provinces (such as Hubei, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Henan, Hunan, etc.) and cities (Beijing and Shanghai) were attacked by the rampant spreading of the disease.2 Furthermore, the disease traveled to other countries, such as Thailand, Japan, Republic of Korea, Viet Nam, Germany, United States, and Singapore. The first case reported in our country was on January 21, 2019. As of February 6, 2020, a total of 28,276 confirmed cases with 565 deaths globally were documented by WHO, involving at least 25 countries.3 The pathogen of the outbreak was later identified as a novel beta-coronavirus, named 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) and recalled to our mind the terrible memory of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-2003, caused by another beta-coronavirus) that occurred 17 years ago.
In 2003, a new coronavirus, the etiology of a mysterious pneumonia, also originated from southeast China, especially Guangdong province, and was named SARS coronavirus that fulfilled the Koch’s postulate.4 The mortality rate caused by the virus was around 10%–15%.5,6 Through the years, the medical facilities have been improved; nevertheless, no proper treatment or vaccine is available for the SARS.6 The emergence of another outbreak in 2012 of novel coronavirus in Middle East shared similar features with the outbreak in 2003.7 Both were caused by coronavirus but the intermediate host for MERS is thought to be the dromedary camel and the mortality can be up to 37%.5 The initial clinical manifestations for both SARS and MERS are usually nonspecific except that the majority of patients presented with fever and respiratory symptoms
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