Open AccessThe coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
Author(s) -
Regina Appiah–Opong
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
health sciences investigations journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2720-7609
pISSN - 2704-4890
DOI - 10.46829/hsijournal.2020.6.1.1.3-4
Subject(s) - virology , coronavirus , viral envelope , biology , tropism , pandemic , glycoprotein , virus , coronaviridae , tissue tropism , host (biology) , viral entry , pathogen , cytoplasm , covid-19 , rna , viral replication , microbiology and biotechnology , gene , disease , genetics , infectious disease (medical specialty) , medicine , pathology
COVID-19 is a disease that is caused by a pathogen known as coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Coronaviruses belong to a superfamily of viruses which infect both humans and animals. These viruses are positive-stranded RNA viruses that are enveloped and replicate in the cytoplasm. Their envelope fuses with the host cell membrane and then the nucleocapsid is delivered into the host. Spike glycoproteins mediate the virus entry into the host as a necessary stage for tropism as well as pathogenesis.