Diagnosis and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract

Abstract Background: The novel corona virus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed over 1,000,000 deaths and has infected more than 34,150,000 people worldwide. The SARS-CoV-2 virus which is the causative pathogen of this pandemic is a beta-coronavirus which causes arrange of respiratory, gastrointestinal, hepatic, and neurologic symptoms in those affected. Aim: This dissertation seeks to provide an overview of the COVID-19 pandemic and critically discuss the diagnostic modalities and treatment of COVID-19 infections. Findings: Diagnosis: COVID-19 can be diagnosed radiologically, as well as with laboratory markers. However, the gold standard for diagnosing COVID-19 is through a reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test. Although the RT-PCR test has been criticised for having a low sensitivity despite having a very high specificity, alternatives to this test are poor. The SARS-CoV-2 IgM/IgG serological test has a much faster turnaround than the RT-PCR test, its accuracy has not been well established, and antibodies can take weeks to develop after an infection. Treatment: The treatment of COVID-19 can be classified as preventative measures, supportive treatment, medical treatment. Several drugs have been proposed as therapeutics for COVID-19. These drugs include protease inhibitors, anti-malarial drugs, macrolide, monoclonal antibody, antiviral nucleotide and corticosteroids. Conclusion: Supportive treatment of COVID-19 is characterised by supplemental oxygen and judicious fluid management. Corticosteroids have the strongest evidence for improving clinical outcomes in COVID-19 patients with severe disease and ARDS necessitating oxygen therapy and ventilation. Evidence regarding the use of anti-malarial is conflicting. Social distancing has proven to be the single most effective non-pharmaceutical intervention that is capable of suppressing and mitigating the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.