The COVID‐19 Menace

• Published in: Global challenges Vol. 5; no. 9; pp. 2100004 - n/a
• Main Authors: Walczak, Piotr, Janowski, Miroslaw
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.09.2021; John Wiley and Sons Inc; Wiley
• Subjects: Angiotensin; Asymptomatic; Cleavage; Complications; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Disease spread; Disease transmission; drugs; Enzymes; Epidemics; Furin; Immunoglobulins; Infections; Influenza; mortality; Neuropilin; Pandemics; Patients; Population; Protease; Respiratory diseases; Review; Reviews; SARS‐CoV‐2; Serine; Serine proteinase; Severe acute respiratory syndrome; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Signs and symptoms; Spike protein; transmission; Tropism; Vaccines; Viral diseases; Viral infections; viruses; Young adults; United States > US; viruses; transmission; COVID‐19; SARS‐CoV‐2; drugs; vaccines; mortality
• ISSN: 2056-6646; 2056-6646
• DOI: 10.1002/gch2.202100004

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) is caused by the new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2), which binds to ectoenzyme angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2. It is very contagious and is spreading rapidly around the world. Until now, coronaviruses have mainly been associated with the aerodigestive tract due to the presence of a monobasic cleavage site for the resident transmembrane serine protease 2. Notably, SARS‐CoV‐2 is equipped with a second, polybasic cleavage site for the ubiquitous furin protease, which may determine the widespread tissue tropism. Furthermore, the terminal sequence of the furin‐cleaved spike protein also binds to neuropilin receptors. Clinically, there is enormous variability in the severity of the disease. Severe consequences are seen in a relatively small number of patients, most show moderate symptoms, but asymptomatic cases, especially among young people, drive disease spread. Unfortunately, the number of local infections can quickly build up, causing disease outbreaks suddenly exhausting health services’ capacity. Therefore, COVID‐19 is dangerous and unpredictable and has become the most serious threat for generations. Here, the latest research on COVID‐19 is summarized, including its spread, testing methods, organ‐specific complications, the role of comorbidities, long‐term consequences, mortality, as well as a new hope for immunity, drugs, and vaccines. The enormously contagious severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has rapidly spread worldwide. The virus has acquired a new proteolytic site for a ubiquitous furin protease, as well as new binding site for an adhesion molecule in the brain and immune cells. In this way, the virus has a broad firepower across all organs.