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The COVID-19 pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has stressed the global health system to a significant level, which has not only resulted in high morbidity and mortality but also poses a threat for future pandemics. This situation warrants efforts to develop novel therapeutics to manage SARS-CoV-2 in specific and other emerging viruses in general. This study focuses on SARS-CoV2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) mutations collected from Saudi Arabia and their impact on protein structure and function. The Saudi SARS-CoV-2 RdRp sequences were compared with the reference Wuhan, China RdRp using a variety of computational and biophysics-based approaches. The results revealed that three mutations—A97V, P323I and Y606C—may affect protein stability, and hence the relationship of protein structure to function. The apo wild RdRp is more dynamically stable with compact secondary structure elements compared to the mutants. Further, the wild type showed stable conformational dynamics and interaction network to remdesivir. The net binding energy of wild-type RdRp with remdesivir is -50.76 kcal/mol, which is more stable than the mutants. The findings of the current study might deliver useful information regarding therapeutic development against the mutant RdRp, which may further furnish our understanding of SARS-CoV-2 biology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A novel coronavirus was identified at the end of 2019 in Wuhan City, China. Later, it was named as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and declared a pandemic in March 2020. Saudi and global health agencies have provided various COVID-19 knowledge tools and facts to the general public. Therefore, this study aims to assess COVID-19 knowledge among the general public in Saudi Arabia at the early stages of the pandemic. Participants and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in March 2020 in Saudi Arabia. The study included 1006 participants who responded to a random online COVID-19 public knowledge questionnaire that included five sections: demographic characteristics, general knowledge, prevention practices, home quarantine measures, and knowledge of governmental restrictions. Three levels of knowledge were established: excellent, intermediate, and poor. Differences in the percentages of participants with different knowledge levels by the demographic variables were analyzed using the chi-square test. Results: Regarding overall general knowledge of COVID-19, 75%, 24%, and 1% of the participants had excellent, intermediate, and poor knowledge levels, respectively. Knowledge levels were significantly different by nationality and age (P=0.027 and 0.008, respectively). Most participants (98.4%) reported excellent knowledge of prevention practices, with no statistically significant differences among groups (P> 0.005). Older age groups reported higher knowledge of home quarantine measures (86.6% and 86.4% of the 51– 60 and older than 60 age groups, respectively, P=0.001). Conclusion and Recommendations: High levels of knowledge about the virus, including prevention practices, are essential. The provision of COVID-19 facts and knowledge tools should be focused on younger generations to enhance compliance with the governmental restrictions required to stop the spread of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In humans, coronaviruses can cause infections of the respiratory system, with damage of varying severity depending on the virus examined: ranging from mild-to-moderate upper respiratory tract diseases, such as the common cold, pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death. Human coronaviruses known to date, common throughout the world, are seven. The most common—and least harmful—ones were discovered in the 1960s and cause a common cold. Others, more dangerous, identified in the early 2000s and cause more severe respiratory tract infections. Among these the SARS-CoV, isolated in 2003 and responsible for the severe acute respiratory syndrome (the so-called SARS), which appeared in China in November 2002, the coronavirus 2012 (2012-nCoV) cause of the Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) from coronavirus, which exploded in June 2012 in Saudi Arabia, and actually SARS-CoV-2. On December 31, 2019, a new coronavirus strain was reported in Wuhan, China, identified as a new coronavirus beta strain ß-CoV from group 2B, with a genetic similarity of approximately 70% to SARS-CoV, the virus responsible of SARS. In the first half of February, the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), in charge of the designation and naming of the viruses (i.e., species, genus, family, etc.), thus definitively named the new coronavirus as SARS-CoV-2. This article highlights the main knowledge we have about the biomolecular and pathophysiologic mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged in Wuhan, China, in late 2019 and Covid-19, a disease caused by SARS-CoV-2 became a pandemic in March 2020. As the pandemic still unfolds, uncertainty circles around the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on patients with chronic diseases, including autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS). To diminish the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and lessen the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare of MS patients, it is essential to understand knowledge, attitudes, and various behavioral practices related to Covid-19 among MS patients. Therefore, this study aimed to look at the behavioral practices related to Covid-19 among patients with MS. A total of 176 MS patients diagnosed at least one year before the survey were conveniently sampled online in Saudi Arabia and their data collected using a structured interview questionnaire in electronic Google form. We determined the reliability of the questionnaire by measuring its internal consistency in a pilot sample of 30 participants. Overall, more than 80% of participants had good knowledge and attitudes towards Covid-19. However, this did not correlate well with the impact on healthcare (r = 0.06). Our study revealed that 46% of participants were anxious about taking their medication, and 32% of participants missed their hospital appointments. Furthermore, 15% of the participants had a relapse but did not go to the hospital because of the pandemic, 15.9% stopped their DMTs, and 35.2% missed drug infusions or refills. Our study revealed overall good knowledge and attitudes related to Covid-19 among MS patients. However, the healthcare impact was considerable, as 32% of the participants missed their hospital appointments, and another 15% had a relapse. This highlights the significance of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the healthcare of patients with MS. Measures to mitigate the effect of the pandemic on healthcare service delivery to patients with MS, such as telemedicine, should be strongly encouraged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]