The FEBS journal
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The newly recognised coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, causative agent of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has caused a pandemic with huge ramifications for human interactions around the globe. As expected, research efforts to understand the virus and curtail the disease are moving at a frantic pace alongside the spread of rumours, speculations and falsehoods. ⋯ We highlight the knowledge on fomites and SARS-CoV-2 and discuss the evidence and explications for a disproportionately stronger impact of COVID-19 on ethnic minorities, including a potential protective role for vitamin D. We further review what is known about the effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection in children, including their role in transmission of the disease, and conclude with the science on different mortality rates between different countries and whether this hints at the existence of more pathogenic cohorts of SARS-CoV-2.
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The emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 strain of the human coronavirus has thrown the world into the midst of a new pandemic. In the human body, the virus causes COVID-19, a disease characterized by shortness of breath, fever, and pneumonia, which can be fatal in vulnerable individuals. ⋯ Across the world, laboratories are developing candidate vaccines for the virus - with vaccine trials underway in the United States and the United Kingdom - and considering various drugs for possible treatments and prophylaxis. Here, we provide an overview of SARS-CoV-2 by analyzing its virology, epidemiology, and modes of transmission while examining the current progress of testing procedures and possible treatments through drugs and vaccines.
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The quest for the effective treatment against coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-coronavirus 2(CoV-2) coronavirus is hampered by the lack of knowledge concerning the basic cell biology of the infection. Given that most viruses use endocytosis to enter the host cell, mechanistic investigation of SARS-CoV-2 infection needs to consider the diversity of endocytic pathways available for SARS-CoV-2 entry in the human lung epithelium. ⋯ Furthermore, 11 clinically approved generic drugs are identified as potential candidates for repurposing as blockers of several potential routes for SARS-CoV-2 endocytosis. More broadly, the paradigm of targeting a fundamental aspect of human cell biology to protect against infection may be advantageous in the context of future pandemic outbreaks.