Comparing SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV and influenza pandemics

Abstract

The objective of this Personal View is to compare transmissibility, hospitalisation, and mortality rates for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) with those of other epidemic coronaviruses, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and pandemic influenza viruses. The basic reproductive rate (R 0 ) for SARS-CoV-2 is estimated to be 2•5 (range 1•8-3•6) compared with 2•0-3•0 for SARS-CoV and the 1918 influenza pandemic, 0•9 for MERS-CoV, and 1•5 for the 2009 influenza pandemic. SARS-CoV-2 causes mild or asymptomatic disease in most cases; however, severe to critical illness occurs in a small proportion of infected individuals, with the highest rate seen in people older than 70 years. The measured case fatality rate varies between countries, probably because of differences in testing strategies. Population-based mortality estimates vary widely across Europe, ranging from zero to high. Numbers from the first affected region in Italy, Lombardy, show an all age mortality rate of 154 per 100 000 population. Differences are most likely due to varying demographic structures, among other factors. However, this new virus has a focal dissemination; therefore, some areas have a higher disease burden and are affected more than others for reasons that are still not understood. Nevertheless, early introduction of strict physical distancing and hygiene measures have proven effective in sharply reducing R 0 and associated mortality and could in part explain the geographical differences.

Obesity, Diabetes and COVID-19: An Infectious Disease Spreading From the East Collides With the Consequences of an Unhealthy Western Lifestyle

“…The current global pandemic is the third epidemic of a major severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) caused by a coronavirus this century. The initial SARS epidemic in 2002 affected 29 countries, primarily in the far east, with 8,098 cases and 774 fatalities (1). This was followed 10 years later by the Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 that affected 27 countries, mainly in the middle-east, with 2,494 cases and 858 deaths (1).…”

“…The initial SARS epidemic in 2002 affected 29 countries, primarily in the far east, with 8,098 cases and 774 fatalities (1). This was followed 10 years later by the Middle-East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) in 2012 that affected 27 countries, mainly in the middle-east, with 2,494 cases and 858 deaths (1). Seven years later another coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, closely resembling SARS-CoV-1, originated in China in late 2019 but has since spread to 213 countries and as of early August 2020 there have been over 20 million cases worldwide with three-quarters of a million deaths (www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/).…”

ACE2 in the Era of SARS-CoV-2: Controversies and Novel Perspectives

“…SARS-CoV caused the SARS epidemic in 2002-2003, with over 8,000 infections and a fatality rate around 10%. In late 2019, another coronavirus emerged as a human pathogen in the city of Wuhan in China, producing symptoms such as fever, severe respiratory impairment, and pneumonia (Petersen et al, 2020). This new coronavirus has been denominated SARS-CoV-2 for its genetic resemblance with SARS-CoV (∼80%), and its related disease has been named COVID-19 (COronaVIrus Disease 2019).…”

Near-Physiological-Temperature Serial Femtosecond X-ray Crystallography Reveals Novel Conformations of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Active Site for Improved Drug Repurposing

“…On 11th of March, 2020; WHO declared COVID19 outbreak as a pandemic, which originated from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. SARS-CoV-2 has a high spread rate (R o ) value, deeming the pandemic difficult to control (Petersen et al, 2020). Moreover, the absence of a vaccine to provide immunity and the lack of effective treatments to control the infection in high comorbidity groups make this pandemic a major threat to global health (Ahn et al, 2020).…”