2019 Novel coronavirus: where we are and what we know

Infection. 2020 Apr;48(2):155-163. doi: 10.1007/s15010-020-01401-y. Epub 2020 Feb 18.

Abstract

There is a current worldwide outbreak of a new type of coronavirus (2019-nCoV), which originated from Wuhan in China and has now spread to 17 other countries. Governments are under increased pressure to stop the outbreak spiraling into a global health emergency. At this stage, preparedness, transparency, and sharing of information are crucial to risk assessments and beginning outbreak control activities. This information should include reports from outbreak sites and from laboratories supporting the investigation. This paper aggregates and consolidates the virology, epidemiology, clinical management strategies from both English and Chinese literature, official news channels, and other official government documents. In addition, by fitting the number of infections with a single-term exponential model, we report that the infection is spreading at an exponential rate, with a doubling period of 1.8 days.

Keywords: 2019-nCoV; COVID-19; China; Clinical guideline; Coronavirus; Epidemiology; Literature review; Literature survey; Novel coronavirus; Review; Virology; Wuhan.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Betacoronavirus / classification*
  • Betacoronavirus / physiology*
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / epidemiology*
  • Coronavirus Infections / pathology
  • Coronavirus Infections / prevention & control
  • Coronavirus Infections / transmission
  • Disease Management
  • Guidelines as Topic / standards
  • Humans
  • Pandemics / prevention & control
  • Pandemics / statistics & numerical data*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / epidemiology*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / pathology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / prevention & control
  • Pneumonia, Viral / transmission
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • World Health Organization