Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virus-led COVID-19 pandemic jolted the whole world at
different levels. Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused death in severe
cases leading to millions of mortalities. This chapter attempts to present an overview of
the whole fiasco created by the spread of the virus along with the historical
background, structural features and important proteins of the virus, modes of infection
and transmission and different diagnostic means like viral and antibody tests. The
authors have presented the latest statistical data on the number of cases and mortalities
reported across the globe and also elaborated on the probable remedial interventions
like the different antiviral, antimalarial drugs which are being explored for treatment
and also explored the utility and applications of drug repurposing and computational
strategies for drug development. The authors have also elaborated on the different
vaccines developed to curb the disease and explained the development of COVID-19
vaccines for children. Overall the chapter has summarized key facts associated with
COVID-19 in a nutshell and it may prove beneficial to the readers to understand the
disease more clearly
Keywords: ACE-2, Envelope Protein, Gag-Pol Polyprotein, MERS, NAAT, Nucleocapsid Protein, OTC Tests, RT-PCR, RdRp, SARS-CoV-2, SARS, Spike Protein