Management of COVID-19 patients

Abstract

The largest threat to the healthcare of mankind since the 1918 influenza pandemic was the outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The First cases of COVID-19 were discovered in Wuhan in Hubei province, China, and COVID-19 was declared a pandemic on 11 March 2020. According to WHO, as of 19 June 2022, over 536 million confirmed cases and over 6.3 million deaths have been reported globally. COVID-19 presents with symptoms affecting the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurologic systems. The patients at risk of severe symptoms include the elderly, people with comorbidities, the immunocompromised, and the unvaccinated. Treatment of patients with COVID-19 depends on the severity of the disease, the patient's health condition, and the resources available. In this review, we discussed extensively the strategies utilized and recent advancements in the respiratory, cardiovascular, and renal management of COVID-19 patients. Close contact with infected individuals who produce respiratory droplets is the most common mechanism of person-to-person transmission of SARS-CoV-2 infection. As such, safety measures to be followed by healthcare personnel are also discussed.