A novel human coronavirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. Since then, the virus has made its way across the globe to affect over 180 countries. SARS-CoV-2 has infected humans in all age groups, of all ethnicities, both males and females while spreading through communities at an alarming rate. Given the nature of this virus, there is much still to be learned; however, we know that the clinical manifestations range from a common cold to more severe diseases such as bronchitis, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), multi-organ failure, and even death. It is believed that COVID-19, in those with underlying health conditions or comorbidities, has an increasingly rapid and severe progression, often leading to death. This paper examined the comorbid conditions, the progression of the disease, and mortality rates in patients of all ages, infected with the ongoing COVID-19 disease. An electronic literature review search was performed, and applicable data was then collected from peer-reviewed articles published from January to April 20, 2020. From what is known at the moment, patients with COVID-19 disease who have comorbidities, such as hypertension or diabetes mellitus, are more likely to develop a more severe course and progression of the disease. Furthermore, older patients, especially those 65 years old and above who have comorbidities and are infected, have an increased admission rate into the intensive care unit (ICU) and mortality from the COVID-19 disease. Patients with comorbidities should take all necessary precautions to avoid getting infected with SARS CoV-2, as they usually have the worst prognosis.

A novel coronavirus was identified as the cause of a cluster of pneumonia cases in Wuhan, China in December 2019. This cluster quickly spread across the globe and led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) a pandemic on March 11, 2020. It’s sudden emergence, ceaseless human-to-human transmission, and rapid spread has led to continuous pandemicity. As of June 9, 2020, there were 7 039 918 confirmed cases and 404 396 deaths globally. The rate of spread of COVID-19 is affected through respiratory droplets, most commonly when infected individuals cough or talk. The virus is released through respiratory secretions that infect individuals once contact with mucous membranes is made directly or indirectly. Our research was conducted via an electronic literature review on PubMed, Google Scholar, and MedLine Plus. Data were then collected from peer-reviewed articles that included applicable keywords and published between January 1, 2020, and June 9, 2020. This article highlights the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide and indicates a higher number of mortalities in the elderly and those with comorbidities. As the number of cases increases, an immediate need to “flatten the curve” is essential to avoid catastrophic overwhelming of hospital systems across the affected countries. To do so, there is an emphasis on detection, testing, isolating the infected, and organizing the healthcare response to the virus. The rapid spread of infection has impacted over 200 countries and territories to date. This report takes a closer look at the cases, fatalities, and recoveries in different regions of the world with details regarding the geographic scale of SARS-CoV-2 spread, risks, and the subsequent impact on the countries affected. Also, this report discusses some effective measures that were carried out by some countries that helped them to mitigate the pandemic and flatten the curve of COVID-19 spread as early as possible.

Candida auris is an invasive fungal pathogen that has been recognized globally as a serious health threat due to its extensive innate and acquired resistance to antifungal drugs. A growing number of emerging cases of C. auris have been reported with resistance to the standard antifungal treatments including azoles, echinocandins, and polyenes, making it difficult to treat. Unlike other Candida species, C. auris is challenging to diagnose using the standard laboratory methods and are typically prone to misidentification, resulting in inappropriate management. Consequently, C. auris infections have spread globally. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data showed that clinical cases of C. auris increased from 329 in 2018 to 1,012 in 2021. The incidence and prevalence of this invasive fungal infection are high in immunocompromised and hospitalized patients. Patients who had an organ transplant, are on immunosuppressive agents, are diabetic, recent antibiotic use, catheter use, and prolonged hospital or nursing homestays are vulnerable to C. auris infections. C. auris is rapidly spreading across healthcare settings globally and monitoring of its virulence as well as devising appropriate treatment approaches are thus highly required.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has made a global impact on the daily lives of humanity, devastating health systems, and cataclysmically affecting the world’s economy. Currently, the Standard Public Health Protective practices consist of but are not limited to wearing masks, social distancing, isolating sick and exposed people, and contact tracing. Scientists around the globe undertook swift scientific efforts to develop safe and effective therapeutics and vaccines to combat COVID-19. Presently, as of mid-March 2022, 57.05% of the world population have been fully vaccinated, and 65.3% of the United States of America’s (USA) total population have been fully vaccinated while 76.7% have received at least one dose of the vaccine. This article explores the various vaccines created through modern science and technology, including their safety, efficacy, and mechanism of action. Although the vaccines produced are up to 95.0% efficacious, their efficacy wanes over time, underscoring the need for booster doses. Also, vaccination has not been able to prevent “breakthrough” infections. The limitations of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines indicate that further measures are required to ensure a firm control of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the use of certain therapeutic agents because they have shown remarkable clinical outcomes. Several therapeutic agents for the treatment of mild-to-moderate COVID-19 include Gilead’s remdesivir, Regeneron’s casirivimab and imdevimab combination, Eli Lilly’s baricitinib and remdesivir combination, Pfizer’s co-packaged nirmatrelvir tablets and ritonavir tablets, and Merck’s molnupiravir capsules. Hence concerted efforts in early and accurate diagnosis, education on the COVID-19 virulence, transmission and preventive measures, global vaccination, and therapeutic agents could bring this COVID-19 pandemic under control across the globe.

Since the pandemic began in China in December 2019, thousands of variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged globally since late 2020. The World Health Organization (WHO) defined the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) as a variant with increased transmissibility, virulence, and decreased response to available diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. Areas of the emerging variant of concern arise from countries like the United Kingdom, South Africa, Brazil, and India. These mutations carry a lineage from N501Y, D614G, N439K, Y453F, and others, which are globally dominated by clades 20A, 20B, and 20C. SARS-CoV-2 VOC emerged after 11 months of evolution since the onset through massive human-to-human transmission with five major VOCs recognized by the WHO, namely Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron. Their emergence could be attributed to changing immunological dynamics in the human population, which has resulted in resistance or escape from neutralizing antibodies, or to mutations and/or recombinations that increase transmission or pathogenicity. This literature review intends to identify and report on SARS-CoV-2 variants that have evolved two years post-onset of the pandemic and their disease implications.