Abstract

Coronaviruses can infect birds and mammals, including humans. The coronavirus 2019-nCoV is believed to have originated in Wuhan, China. To date, little is known about this coronavirus, although it shares characteristics and presentations of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, which predated 2019-nCoV. The virus can encode a large number of genes in a small number of nucleotides, making it potentially virulent and problematic to treat. Currently, there is no vaccine or approved drug regime to prevent or treat 2019-nCoV. Thus, the avoidance of the spread of the virus and the identification and isolation immediately of infected individuals are crucial to containing this contagion and averting a global pandemic. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, and numerous country-specific organizations have developed and published prevention and control recommendations for patients under investigation for 2019-nCoV, specifically for healthcare workers and emergency department personnel. This review contains a summary of the current (interim) epidemiological information, clinical presentation, and prevention and treatment of 2019-nCoV, with vital links to resources regarding screening, reporting, and specimen collection.

Keywords: 2019-nCoV; Coronavirus; COVID-19; MERS-CoV; Mortality; SARS-CoV

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