DEMYSTIFYING COVID-19, ITS TRANSMISSION, TREATMENT AND PREVENTION TO NON-MEDICAL PERSONNEL

Currently, the world is battling with a pandemic caused by the Severe acute respiratory syndrome virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), despite halting socioeconomic activities and causing high demand for medical care facilities and loss of lives, there is a good number of non-medical personnel who are either misinformed or not well informed about this global threat to public health. To a certain extent, some could not establish how real this devastating viral outbreak is and as a result, are undermining the measures set aside by various experts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Forward: This review hoped to clear the doubts to  non-medical personnel regarding the ‘nuts and bolts’ of how the infection is transmitted from person to person, the current supportive treatment options in the hospital and how to prevent oneself and close associates from contracting this virus. The mode of transmission, incubation period, host immune response and immunopathology, subclinical period of COVID-19, clinical manifestations and complications seen in  patients,  methods involved in diagnosing cases, treatment and progress on vaccine development  and preventive measures  including proper wearing of personal protective equipment and disinfection are all elaborated in this review. Conclusion: Despite all the interventions including social distancing and personal hygiene to curb spread of the virus, our only hopes lies on effective therapeutic regimens including vaccines development in the near future. At the present moment, our only weapon is taking preventive measures to flatten the curve and prevent healthcare facilities and staffs getting overwhelmed.