Evaluation of safety concerns for COVID-19 immunization of pregnant women: A systematic review of emerging evidence (preprint)

Background: There is an urgent need to review the status of COVID-19 vaccine immunization in pregnant women globally so that the adverse outcomes may be prevented. Objective: To evaluate the probable outcome of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women. Search strategy: An electronic search was conducted over the period of 3 months (June 15-August 15, 2021). Selection criteria: The original studies evaluating safety concerns in pregnant women for COVID-19 vaccination were included. Data collection and analysis: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009 guidelines were used for the collection of the data and reporting of the findings. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for the studies were determined based on ‘PICO principle’ (Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome, Study design. Risk of bias assessment was done using National Institute of Health (NIH) tool for systematic reviews. Main results: COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women was not associated with increased adverse effects or complications to the mother as well as developing fetus or newborn compared to non-vaccinated pregnant women. Vaccinated pregnant women showed a robust immune response against COVID-19 infection. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy causes no significant health risks for the mother or developing fetus or newborn.

Genome-wide Association Study of Long COVID (preprint)

Infections can lead to persistent or long-term symptoms and diseases such as shingles after varicella zoster, cancers after human papillomavirus, or rheumatic fever after streptococcal infections(1,2). Similarly, infection by SARS-CoV-2 can result in Long COVID, a condition characterized by symptoms of fatigue and pulmonary and cognitive dysfunction(3-5). The biological mechanisms that contribute to the development of Long COVID remain to be clarified. We leveraged the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative(6,7) to perform a genome-wide association study for Long COVID including up to 6,450 Long COVID cases and 1,093,995 population controls from 24 studies across 16 countries. We identified the first genome-wide significant association for Long COVID at the FOXP4 locus. FOXP4 has been previously associated with COVID-19 severity(6), lung function(8), and cancers(9), suggesting a broader role for lung function in the pathophysiology of Long COVID. While we identify COVID-19 severity as a causal risk factor for Long COVID, the impact of the genetic risk factor located in the FOXP4 locus could not be solely explained by its association to severe COVID-19. Our findings further support the role of pulmonary dysfunction and COVID-19 severity in the development of Long COVID.

Ethnopharmacological Potential of Phytochemicals and Phytogenic Products against Human RNA Viral Diseases as Preventive Therapeutics

RNA viruses have been the most destructive due to their transmissibility and lack of control measures. Developments of vaccines for RNA viruses are very tough or almost impossible as viruses are highly mutable. For the last few decades, most of the epidemic and pandemic viral diseases have wreaked huge devastation with innumerable fatalities. To combat this threat to mankind, plant-derived novel antiviral products may contribute as reliable alternatives. They are assumed to be nontoxic, less hazardous, and safe compounds that have been in uses in the beginning of human civilization. In this growing COVID-19 pandemic, the present review amalgamates and depicts the role of various plant products in curing viral diseases in humans.

Ethnopharmacological Potential of Phytochemicals and Phytogenic Products against Human RNA Viral Diseases as Preventive Therapeutics.

RNA viruses have been the most destructive due to their transmissibility and lack of control measures. Developments of vaccines for RNA viruses are very tough or almost impossible as viruses are highly mutable. For the last few decades, most of the epidemic and pandemic viral diseases have wreaked huge devastation with innumerable fatalities. To combat this threat to mankind, plant-derived novel antiviral products may contribute as reliable alternatives. They are assumed to be nontoxic, less hazardous, and safe compounds that have been in uses in the beginning of human civilization. In this growing COVID-19 pandemic, the present review amalgamates and depicts the role of various plant products in curing viral diseases in humans.

FDA-Approved Trifluoromethyl Group-Containing Drugs: A Review of 20 Years

As people around the world regard 2020 as the year of COVID-19, the medical community considers this year to be the second-best year, shared with the year 1996, with respect to the number of drug molecules approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both years, 2020 and 1996, had a record of 53 new drug molecules approved by the FDA. In the year 2020, 53 new chemical entities and 13 biological medicines were approved, including 10 monoclonal antibodies, 2 antibody-drug conjugates, 3 peptides, and 2 oligonucleotides. Among them, most of the compounds were found to have fluorine or fluorine-containing functional groups exhibiting numerous pharmacological activities. Herein, we summarized the trifluoromethyl (TFM, -CF3)-group-containing FDA-approved drugs for the last 20 years. This article specially features and details the previous 20-year literature data, covering CF3-incorporated potential drug molecules, including their syntheses and uses for various diseases and disorders. The review covers the detailed chemistry of 19 FDA-approved drugs in the past 20 years, which contains the TFM group as one of the pharmacophores.

COVID Crisis and Tourism Sustainability: An Insightful Bibliometric Analysis

The pernicious impact of COVID-19 on all the aspects of travel and tourism has posed a question of tourism sustainability before policymakers and researchers. This research aims to cast light on the bibliometric construct and knowledge structure of the contemporaneous research that evolved around tourism sustainability amid COVID-19. Bibliometric methods of performance analysis and science mapping were used to analyze a total of 440 bibliographic records retrieved from the Scopus database. The major findings showed sustainability as a trending area of tourism research amid COVID-19 and revealed the concentration of research in three prime domains: Management and sustainable development of tourism, environmental health, and mobility trends in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. These areas may be perceived as the recent domains, and they are imperative for future research.

NRP1 and furin as putative mediators of SARS-CoV-2 entry into human brain cells (preprint)

ABSTRACT COVID-19 has prominent neurological manifestations including psychiatric symptoms, indicating significant synaptic pathology. Surprisingly, existing evidence suggests negligible expression of the key SARS-CoV-2 host cell entry mediators ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in human brain, which complicates understanding of the pathomechanisms of the neuropsychiatric manifestations in COVID-19. Recent studies suggested that an alternative host-cell entry receptor, NRP1 , can mediate entry of furin cleaved SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins into the host cells. However, the role of NRP1 and furin in mediating SARS-CoV-2 entry in human brain cells has been least explored and remains a lacuna in the literature. We performed an in silico analysis of the transcriptomic and proteomic expressions of SARS-CoV-2 host-cell entry receptors and associated tissue proteases in human brain tissue, using the publically available databases. Based on the expression analysis, SARS-CoV-2 entry in human brain cells is likely to be mediated through NRP1 and furin . Graphical Abstract

An in silico analysis of early SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 (Omicron) genomic sequences and their epidemiological correlates (preprint)

Background: A newly emerged SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 has worried health policymakers worldwide due to the presence of a large number of mutations in its genomic sequence, especially in the spike protein region. World Health Organization (WHO) has designated it as a global variant of concern (VOC) and has named as Omicron. A surge in new COVID-19 cases has been reported from certain geographical locations, primarily in South Africa (SA) following the emergence of Omicron. Materials and methods: We performed an in silico analysis of the complete genomic sequences of Omicron available on GISAID (until 2021-12-6) to predict the functional impact of the mutations present in this variant on virus-host interactions in terms of viral transmissibility, virulence/lethality, and immune escape. In addition, we performed a correlation analysis of the relative proportion of the genomic sequences of specific SARS-CoV-2 variants (in the period of 01 Oct-29 Nov 2021) with the current epidemiological data (new COVID-19 cases and deaths) from SA to understand whether the Omicron has an epidemiological advantage over existing variants. Results: Compared to the current list of global VOCs/VOIs (as per WHO) Omicron bears more sequence variation, specifically in the spike protein and host receptor-binding motif (RBM). Omicron showed the closest nucleotide and protein sequence homology with Alpha variant for the complete sequence as well as for RBM. The mutations were found primarily condensed in the spike region (28-48) of the virus. Further, the mutational analysis showed enrichment for the mutations decreasing ACE2-binding affinity and RBD protein expression, in contrast, increasing the propensity of immune escape. An inverse correlation of Omicron with Delta variant was noted (r=-0.99, p< .001, 95% CI: -0.99 to -0.97) in the sequences reported from SA post-emergence of the new variant, later showing a decrease. There has been a steep rise in the new COVID-19 cases in parallel with the increase in the proportion of Omicron since the first case (74-100%), on the contrary, the incidences of new deaths have not been increased (r=-0.04, p>0.05, 95% CI =-0.52 to 0.58). Conclusions: Omicron may have greater immune escape ability than the existing VOCs/VOIs. However, there are no clear indications coming out from the predictive mutational analysis that the Omicron may have higher virulence/lethality than other variants, including Delta. The higher ability for immune escape may be a likely reason for the recent surge in Omicron cases in SA.

Roles of host mitochondria in the development of COVID-19 pathology: Could mitochondria be a potential therapeutic target?

The recent emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome-Corona Virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in late 2019 and its spread worldwide caused an acute pandemic of Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19). Since then, COVID-19 has been under intense scrutiny as its outbreak led to significant changes in healthcare, social activities, and economic settings worldwide. Although angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) receptor is shown to be the primary port of SARS-CoV-2 entry in cells, the mechanisms behind the establishment and pathologies of COVID-19 are poorly understood. As recent studies have shown that host mitochondria play an essential role in virus-mediated innate immune response, pathologies, and infection, in this review, we will discuss in detail the entry and progression of SARS-CoV-2 and how mitochondria could play roles in COVID-19 disease. We will also review the potential interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and mitochondria and discuss possible treatments, including whether mitochondria as a potential therapeutic target in COVID-19. Understanding SARS-CoV-2 and mitochondrial interactions mediated virus establishment, inflammation, and other consequences may provide a unique mechanism and conceptual advancement in finding a novel treatment for COVID-19.

Sugar Beet Cultivation in India: Prospects for Bio-Ethanol Production and Value-Added Co-Products.

Sugar beet is an important crop in the advent of COVID 19 as it has a high potential for ethanol production in less growth span. The life cycle of this crop is of five to six months with a root yield of 60-80 t ha-1 and sugar content of 15-17%. Sugar beet is known as a temperate crop of short duration grown in the month of September to October and harvested in April and May, but successful efforts have been made in establishing this crop for Indian agro-climatic conditions. India stands to gain from capitalizing on the potential of sugar beet for sugar, ethanol, and fodder. It offers the increment in the farmer's income especially hill farmers with respect to seed production of this crop in India The crop has been bestowed with a natural endowment of reclaiming saline soils which will help in cultivating the Indian saline areas. The crop is full of carbohydrates content which is being used for multiple purposes giving value addition to the crop. The green top and, wet and dry pulp are a good source of fodder material for lactating animals like cattle. Beet pulp is another good source as silage feed and as an adhesive in beauty products as well as in printing ink. An amount of 5250 L of ethanol per hectare crop can be produced. Due to 30% galacturonic acid content, the dry beet pulp can also be used as a source of Vitamin C. Lactic acid is also being produced from the juice of sugar beet through fermentation. The pectin content of this crop is useful in paper and board manufacturing industries as a raw material and also in dishwashing detergents and leather production. The fiber content works as dietary fibers which are used in meat and baking industries as important ingredients in food commodities. The vinasse produced as an industrial by-product is useful as a fertilizer. Sugar beet tails and other parts have also been used in biogas production in some countries. Intercropping of this crop with other crops is an added benefit of this crop. New prospects are also available for this crop in pharmaceutical industries and material sciences in times to come.

Evaluation of safety concerns for COVID-19 immunization of pregnant women: A systematic review of emerging evidence (preprint)

Objectives There is an urgent need to review the status of COVID-19 vaccine immunization in pregnant women globally so that the adverse outcomes may be prevented. In this study we performed a systematic review of the available literature to evaluate the probable outcomes of COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women.Methods An electronic search was conducted over the period of 3 months (June 15-August 15, 2021). The original studies evaluating safety concerns in pregnant women for COVID-19 vaccination were included. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2009 guidelines were used for the collection of the data and reporting of the findings. The inclusion and exclusion criteria for the studies were determined based on ‘PICO principle’ (Population, Intervention, Comparator, and Outcome, Study design. Risk of bias assessment was done using National Institute of Health (NIH) tool for systematic reviews.Results COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant women was not associated with increased adverse effects or complications to the mother as well as developing fetus or newborn compared to non-vaccinated pregnant women. Vaccinated pregnant women showed a robust immune response against COVID-19 infection.Conclusions COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy causes no significant health risks for the mother or developing fetus or newborn.

Clinical profile and outcome of COVID-19 among immunocompromised children

This retrospective study describes the clinical profile, risk of infection and outcome of coronavirus disease-19 in immunocompromised children. It was found that children on immunosuppressant medication has 2.89 times increased risk of infection (P=0.01). Disease manifestation was asymptomatic (P=0.01) or mild with predominant gastrointestinal symptoms (P=0.02) without alteration in immunosuppressive treatment regime.

COVID-19: Impact on linguistic and genetic isolates of India.

The rapid expansion of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has impacted various ethnic groups all over the world. The burden of infectious diseases including COVID-19 are generally reported to be higher for the Indigenous people. The historical knowledge have also suggested that the indigenous populations suffer more than the general populations in the pandemic. Recently, it has been reported that the indigenous groups of Brazil have been massively affected by COVID-19. Series of studies have shown that many of the indigenous communities reached at the verge of extinction due to this pandemic. Importantly, South Asia also has several indigenous and smaller communities, that are living in isolation. Till date, despite the two consecutive waves in India, there is no report on the impact of COVID-19 for indigenous tribes. Since smaller populations experiencing drift may have greater risk of such pandemic, we have analysed Runs of Homozygosity (ROH) among South Asian populations and identified several populations with longer homozygous segments. The longer runs of homozygosity at certain genomic regions may increases the susceptibility for COVID-19. Thus, we suggest extreme careful management of this pandemic among isolated populations of South Asia.

Demographic characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant infections in Indian population (preprint)

ImportanceHigher risks of contracting infection, developing severe illness and mortality are known facts in aged and male sex if exposed to the wild type SARS-CoV-2 strains (Wuhan and B.1 strains). Now, accumulating evidence suggests greater involvement of lower age and narrowing the age and sex based differences for the severity of symptoms in infections with emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. Delta variant (B.1.617.2) is now a globally dominant SARS-CoV-2 strain, however, current evidence on demographic characteristics for this variant are limited. Recently, delta variant caused a devastating second wave of COVID-19 in India. We performed a demographic characterization of COVID-19 cases in Indian population diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing for delta variant. ObjectiveTo determine demographic characteristics of delta variant in terms of age and sex, severity of the illness and mortality rate, and post-vaccination infections. DesignA cross sectional study SettingDemographic characteristics, including vaccination status (for two complete doses) and severity of the illness and mortality rate, of COVID-19 cases caused by wild type strain (B.1) and delta variant (B.1.617.2) of SARS-CoV-2 in Indian population were studied. ParticipantsCOVID-19 cases for which SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing was performed and complete demographic details (age, sex, and location) were available, were included. ExposuresSARS-CoV-2 infection with Delta (B.1.617.2) variant and wild type (B.1) strain. Main Outcomes and MeasuresThe patient metadata containing details for demographic and vaccination status (two complete doses) of the COVID-19 patients with confirmed delta variant and WT (B.1) infections were analyzed [total number of cases (N) =9500, Ndelta=6238, NWT=3262]. Further, severity of the illness and mortality were assessed in subsets of patients. Final data were tabulated and statistically analyzed to determine age and sex based differences in chances of getting infection and the severity of illness, and post-vaccination infections were compared between wild type and delta variant strains. Graphs were plotted to visualize the trends. ResultsWith delta variant, in comparison to wild type (B.1) strain, higher proportion of lower age groups, particularly <20 year (0-9 year: 4.47% vs. 2.3%, 10-19 year: 9% vs. 7%) were affected. The proportion of women contracting infection were increased (41% vs. 36%). The higher proportion of total young (0-19 year, 10% vs. 4%) (p=.017) population and young (14% vs. 3%) as well as adult (20-59 year, 75% vs. 55%) women developed symptoms/hospitalized with delta variant in comparison to B.1 infection (p< .00001). The mean age of contracting infection [Delta, men=37.9 ({+/-}17.2) year, women=36.6 ({+/-}17.6) year; B.1, men=39.6 ({+/-}16.9) year and women= 40.1 ({+/-}17.4) year (p< .001)] as well as developing symptoms/hospitalization [Delta, men=39.6({+/-} 17.4) year, women=35.6 ({+/-}16.9) year; B.1, men=47({+/-}18) year and women= 49.5({+/-}20.9) year (p< .001)] was considerably lower. The total mortality was about 1.8 times higher (13% vs. 7%). Risk of death increased irrespective of the sex (Odds ratio: 3.034, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.7-5.2, p<0.001), however, increased proportion of women (32% vs. 25%) were died. Further, multiple incidences of delta infections were noted following complete vaccination. Conclusions and RelevanceThe increased involvement of young (0-19 year) and women, lower mean age for contracting infection and symptomatic illness/hospitalization, higher mortality, and frequent incidences of post-vaccination infections with delta variant compared to wild type strain raises significant epidemiological concerns. Key PointsO_ST_ABSQuestionC_ST_ABSDid SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant infections show varied demographic characteristics in comparison to wild type strains? FindingsIn this cross sectional study viral genomic sequences of 9500 COVID-19 patients were analyzed. As the key findings, increased involvement of young (0-19 year) and women, lower mean age for contracting infection and symptomatic illness/hospitalization, higher mortality, and frequent incidences of post-vaccination infections with delta variant in comparison to wild type (WT) strain (B.1) were observed. MeaningThe findings of this study suggest that delta variant has varied demographic characteristics reflecting increased involvement of the young and women, and increased lethality in comparison to wild type strains.

Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Variants Can Potentially Break Set Epidemiological Barriers in COVID-19 (preprint)

Younger age, female sex, absence of comorbidities, and prior infection or vaccination are known epidemiological barriers for contracting the new infection and/or increased disease severity. Demographic trends from the recent COVID waves, which are believed to be driven by new SARS-CoV-2 variants, indicate that the aforementioned epidemiological barriers are being breached and a larger number of younger and healthy individuals are developing severe disease. The new SARS-CoV-2 variants have key mutations that can induce significant changes in the virus-host interactions. Recent studies report that, some of these mutations, singly or in a group, enhanced key mechanisms, such as binding of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the viral spike protein with the ACE2 receptor in the host cells, increased glycosylation of spike protein at antigenic sites, and proteolytic cleavage of the spike protein, leading to improved host cell entry and replication of the virus. The putative changes in the virus-host interactions imparted by the mutations in the RBD sequence can potentially be the reason behind the breach of the observed epidemiological barriers. Susceptibility for contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection and the disease outcomes are known to be influenced by host expressions of ACE2 and other proteases. The new variants can act more efficiently, and even on the lower concentrations of the viral entry receptor and associated proteases, thus can have more efficient host cell entry and greater replication resulting in higher viral load and prolonged viral shedding, and widespread tissue injury, and severe inflammation leading to increased transmissibility and lethality. Furthermore, the accumulating evidence that multiple new variants show reduced neutralization by natural and vaccine acquired antibodies, indicating repeated and vaccine breakthrough infections may arise as serious health concerns in the ongoing pandemic.

Second wave of COVID-19 in India could be predicted with genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants coupled with epidemiological data: A tool for future (preprint)

India recently witnessed a devastating second wave of COVID-19, which peaked by the end of the first week of May 2021. We aimed to understand formation and spread of the second wave in the country. We analyzed time series distribution of the genomic sequence data for SARS-CoV-2 and correlated that with the epidemiological data for new cases and deaths, for the corresponding period of the second wave. Further we analyzed the phylodynamics of the circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants in the Indian population in the period of study. Our analysis shows that the first indications of arrival of the second wave were observable by the end of January 2021, and by the end of March, 2021 it was clearly indicated. B.1.617 lineage variants drove the wave, particularly B.1.617.2 (a.k.a. delta variant). Based on the observations of this study, we propose that genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 variants augmented with epidemiological data can be a promising tool for forecasting imminent COVID-19 waves.

Recent advances in materials science: a reinforced approach toward challenges against COVID-19.

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic, medical professionals and scientists have encountered an unprecedented trouble to make the latest technological solutions to work. Despite of abundant tools available as well as initiated for diagnosis and treatment, researchers in the healthcare systems were in backfoot to provide concrete answers to the demanding challenge of SARS-CoV-2. It has incited global collaborative efforts in every field from economic, social, and political to dedicated science to confront the growing demand toward solution to this outbreak. Field of materials science has been in the frontline to the current scenario to provide major diagnostic tools, antiviral materials, safety materials, and various therapeutic means such as, antiviral drug design, drug delivery, and vaccination. In the present article, we emphasized the role of materials science to the development of PPE kits such as protecting suits, gloves, and masks as well as disinfection of the surfaces/surroundings. In addition, contribution of materials science towards manufacturing diagnostic devices such as microfluidics, immunosensors as well as biomaterials with a point of care analysis has also been discussed. Further, the efficacy of nanoparticles and scaffolds for antiviral drug delivery and micro-physiological systems as well as materials derived from human tissues for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) devices have been elaborated towards therapeutic applications.

Host Vulnerability Factors Affecting Patient Outcomes in COVID-19: An Update (preprint)

The pandemic of the coronavirus disease, 2019 (COVID-19) has caused millions to suffer from the disease and to die globally. Global epidemiological statistics reflect, significantly more numbers of men, aged, those suffering from co-morbidities, and people facing socio-economic inequalities, such as, racial/ethnic minorities, have been affected by COVID-19. Why the disease affects more to these specific population groups is intriguing the researchers globally. Emerging literature in COVID-19 indicates crucial role of factors intrinsic to the host behind such poor outcomes in selected individuals. Our comprehensive review of existing literature unravels a range of host factors which could have decisive role in patient outcomes in COVID-19, in terms of contracting infections, disease severity, and mortality, such as: age, sex, co-morbidities, genetic and phenotypic factors (e.g. polymorphisms or mutations, blood group etc.), clinical and laboratory parameters (at the time of hospital admission), cross protection from previous respiratory virus infections and childhood vaccinations, gut-microbiome, life style, habits and behavior (smoking and substance abuse), and socio-economic and systemic inequalities. In this article, we discuss in brief the most definitive and updated evidence for each of these host factors.

Performance Estimation of Machine Learning Algorithms in the Factor Analysis of COVID-19 Dataset

Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) is a communicable disease that originated during December 2019, when China officially informed the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the constellation of cases of the disease in the city of Wuhan. Subsequently, the disease started spreading to the rest of the world. Until this point in time, no specific vaccine or medicine is available for the prevention and cure of the disease. Several research works are being carried out in the fields of medicinal and pharmaceutical sciences aided by data analytics and machine learning in the direction of treatment and early detection of this viral disease. The present report describes the use of machine learning algorithms [Linear and Logistic Regression, Decision Tree (DT), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and SVM with Grid Search] for the prediction and classification in relation to COVID-19. The data used for experimentation was the COVID-19 dataset acquired from the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE), Johns Hopkins University (JHU). The assimilated results indicated that the risk period for the patients is 12–14 days, beyond which the probability of survival of the patient may increase. In addition, it was also indicated that the probability of death in COVID cases increases with age. The death probability was found to be higher in males as compared to females. SVM with Grid search methods demonstrated the highest accuracy of approximately 95%, followed by the decision tree algorithm with an accuracy of approximately 94%. The present study and analysis pave a way in the direction of attribute correlation, estimation of survival days, and the prediction of death probability. The findings of the present study clearly indicate that machine learning algorithms have strong capabilities of prediction and classification in relation to COVID-19 as well.

Effect of pre-existing diseases on COVID-19 infection and role of new sensors and biomaterials for its detection and treatment.

The entire world is suffering from a new type of viral disease, occurred by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). The present article briefly discussed the genome sequencing and interaction of host cells with SARS-CoV-2. The influence of pre-existing diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and age of the patients on COVID-19 infection is reviewed. The possible treatments of SARS-CoV-2 including antiviral drugs, Chinese traditional treatment and plasma therapy are elaborately discussed. The proper vaccine for COVID-19 is not available till date. However, the trials of pre-existing antiviral vaccines such as, chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, ritonavir and lopinavir and their consequences are briefly presented. Further, the importance of new materials and devices for the detection and treatment of COVID-19 has also been reviewed. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based, and non-PCR based devices are used for the detection of COVID-19 infection. The non-PCR based devices provide rapid results as compared to PCR based devices.