When viewed under an electron microscope, the ultrastructural morphology of the virus shows spiky projections on its surface, giving it an appearance of a corona around the virion. Hence, the appearance gave it the name "coronavirus".
Coronaviruses primarily infect birds and mammals, but some of them have crossed the animal-human species barrier and progressed to establish zoonotic diseases in humans 5 . The initial victims of the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 in Wuhan, China, had some links with seafood and live animal markets; thus, indicating a likely animal-to-human mode of transmission. However, the subsequent transmission of the virus was through human to human spread 3, 7 .
SARS-CoV-2 is primarily spread through human to human transmission through direct contact with respiratory droplets from an infected individual by coughing/sneezing, saliva, or nasal discharge. 3, 8 Eye contact with an infected droplet can also serve as a route of transmission 9 . In addition to droplet transmission, SARS-CoV-2 might also be transmitted via the fecal-oral route. 10 It has been identified that SARS-CoV-2 can survive on surfaces and objects; hence, indirect transmission through fomites is also possible 3 . The available information indicate that the virus may survive a few hours to days depending on the surface, but no conclusive report yet 1 .
Even though infected individuals who are yet to show any symptoms have the potential to spread the virus, transmission occurs mainly from those with symptoms of the disease 3, 8 . Meanwhile, according to the current estimate from the WHO based on currently available data, the incubation period (the period between infection and the onset of symptoms) ranges from 1 -12.5 days 3, 8 .
Children under two years, older patients, patients with chronic medical conditions, and patients with a weak immune system were identified to be at higher risk of contracting MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV 11 , and this is also true for SARS-CoV-2. Similar conditions have also been implicated as risks for developing severe illness from the COVID-19 disease 2 .
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause respiratory diseases; some infected persons may be asymptomatic. The severity of COVID-19 may range from mild respiratory diseases such as the common cold to severe respiratory illnesses such as the Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia (NCIP). The common symptoms include fever, cough, fatigue, and dyspnea (shortness of breath). Other less frequently reported symptoms are headache, sore throat, hemoptysis (coughing up blood) and diarrhea. 3
The CDC has developed a new lab test kit, an rRT-PCR kit, for testing upper and lower respiratory specimens collected from persons who meet the CDC criteria for 2019 n-CoV testing.
The CDC has developed the "criteria to guide for the evaluation of Persons Under Investigation (PUI)" 12 , and this is presented in Table 1 below: with either soap and water or alcohol-based hand rub after every contact with people, objects and surfaces. Additionally, everyone is encouraged to refrain from touching the eyes, mouth and nose with unclean hands; maintain a distance of at least a meter from anyone infected with SARS-CoV-2; and cough into a flexed elbow or tissue and ensure that the nose and mouth are covered while doing this. Anyone with respiratory symptoms should use a facemask, inform other people and report their symptoms immediately to a health facility 8 . Health workers should ensure that they practice regular hand washing with either soap and water, or alcohol-based hand rubs after every contact with patients, objects and surfaces in the health facility. They should also ensure strict adherence to standard precautions not just when they are attending to patients but at all times in the health facility 14 . 
There is currently no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) infection 3 ; however, a study revealed that Remdesivir and Chloroquine are highly effective in the control of SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro 13 . However, supportive therapies such as the use of antimicrobials, oxygen therapy, and specific treatment for underlying conditions such as diabetes and kidney failure may reduce the severity of the symptoms and increase the chances of survival. 5
Prevention is better than cure; hence, for all diseases, it is better to avoid getting infected, but in the case of COVID-19, where there is still no known definitive treatment or vaccine, avoiding any exposure to the virus is best. Thus, individuals are advised to imbibe the habits of good hand hygiene and basic protective practices. Some of these include regular hand washing CONCLUSION COVID-19 is a new disease caused by SARS-COV-2. While much work is still ongoing to learn more if not all about the virus, it is known that it can spread rapidly among humans, can cause respiratory illnesses and other symptoms, and has resulted in many deaths, especially in China, where the outbreak first occurred in December 2019. No vaccine or certified treatment regimen is available yet; therefore, the prompt management of the constitutional symptoms has remained the mainstay of treatment of COVID-19 for now. There is no vaccine known to be effective against SARS-CoV-2; hence, avoiding contact with an infected individual remains the mainstay of prevention and control of COVID-19. Any infected individual or individual with indicative symptoms should avoid spreading the virus and promptly report their symptoms to a healthcare center for early diagnosis and prompt management.