An Update of Pharmacological & Non-Pharmacological Therapies for COVID-19 Pandemic Trivia

The whole planet is facing one of the scariest pandemic situations in this era. On 11th February, 2020 the World Health Organization announced the name of an unknown disease as COVID-19, which is caused by the ssRNA virus SARS-CoV-2 (formally recognized as a sister of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV). The epicenter of this disease is Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. COVID-19 can affect all age groups but particularly affects immune compromised persons and those more than 60 years of age with co-morbid conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, or HIV/AIDS. It is highly contagious disease that involves mild to severe respiratory symptoms and breathing problems. The transmission occurs through respiratory droplets and person-to-person contact. As SARS-CoV-2 is a new strain of β-coronavirus that spreads from animals to humans via an unknown intermediate host, no vaccines have been developed yet and only supportive treatment is given to the infected patients. Some antiviral drugs are approved and prescribed to the patients and some others are still under investigation. Therefore, social distancing, home quarantine, and proper healthy lifestyle are the best current options to avoid further spread of this pervasive virus.