Open AccessCOVID-19; Plague of the 21st Century; Situation Update
Author(s) -
Muhammad Akbar Baig,
Zaitoon Zafar,
Abeer Aziz,
Umme Hani Abdullah
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
asian journal of research in infectious diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2582-3221
DOI - 10.9734/ajrid/2020/v3i430132
Subject(s) - pandemic , plague (disease) , covid-19 , racism , economic growth , development economics , political science , coronavirus , china , stigma (botany) , virology , social stigma , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , history , geography , medicine , ancient history , economics , psychiatry , outbreak , law , pathology , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv)
The first known case of COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus now known as SARS-CoV-2 occurred in Wuhan, China in late December 2019. In a matter of a few months, it has spread globally to infect more than 500, 000 people and has caused more than 20,000 deaths. It was officially declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO). To date, it has strained medical infrastructure, stagnated global economy and given rise to social stigma, fear, and racism. In this article, we provide a comprehensive review of our current knowledge and understanding of this new disease.