Scripta Medica (Jan 2020)
COVID-19: Lessons learned
Abstract
Modern society has not forgotten yet epidemics that killed millions in the last millennium and the COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS CoV-2 has recently emerged. With the onset of the Wuhan epidemic in the Chinese province of Hubei, the initially called new corona virus due to the similarity of 80 % to the 2002 SARS virus was renamed to SARS CoV-2. The virus was originally isolated from bronchoalveolar aspirate specimens. Viral RNK was detected in 6 of 41 blood samples with clinical signs of infection. A senior Chinese expert told to the media that the median incubation period was 7 days, ranging from 2 -1 2. The International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for Epidemics gives a preliminary estimate basic reproduction number R0 of 1.4 - 2.5. COVID-19 is mainly transmitted by close contact with the infected by drops due to sneezing and coughing. Fever, cough, myalgia and fatigue are the predominant initial signs and symptoms. The clinical picture is non-specific. Exacerbation occurs suddenly, as bilateral interstitial pneumonia that requires admission to intensive care. Initial lethality in hospitalised cases was 15 %, but these estimates had to be taken with reserve as the situation evolved. According to recent data, the global fatality rate is 3.7 %, the lethality rate in China is 3.9 % and in Italy 6.8 %. According to data from the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, of 44,672 confirmed cases 1,023 people died, therefore lethality was 2.3 %. In the absence of specific prevention and control measures, mankind is limited to general prevention measures.
