Biophysical Overview of Covid-19 Infection

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was declared a global pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is the infectious disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. It is transmitted from person to person through droplets, progresses asymptomatically in 70% of the sufferers, while it may manifest itself in severe clinical conditions, ranging from viral upper respiratory tract infection to pneumonia, sepsis, septic shock, and even acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), in symptomatic patients. Studies on the epidemiological and clinical features of COVID-19 have shown that these patients can develop symptoms of mild or severe acute respiratory infection. In cases with mild symptoms, upper respiratory tract symptoms such as fever, dry cough, and fatigue may develop, and abnormal chest CT findings may also be present. In cases with severe symptoms, dyspnea, diarrhea, severe pneumonia, ARDS or multiple organ failure develop, and mortality rates vary between 4.3% and 15% according to different study reports.