Telehealth - A Boon in the Time of COVID 19 Outbreak

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND Since December 2019, a novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, has been identified in a group of community acquired pneumonia patients in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China.(1) Within one month of its discovery, this novel coronavirus was rapidly spreading in all regions of China and 25 countries in Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and South America, North America. With the COVID 19 pandemic rapidly spreading in India and the world, it is imperative that the rehabilitation team understands virus's epidemiology quickly at the beginning stages of this certainly long global epidemic. Coronavirus is a novel virus, and it has no known immunity for most of the world population. This is more contagious and lethal than influenza viruses, and effective medication and a vaccine are months away. Our strategy against this is primarily social distancing and interventions to manage infections.