Personal protective equipment in the response to the SARS-CoV-2 outbreak - A letter to the editor on 'World Health Organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19)' (Int J Surg 2020; 76:71–6)

An unprecedented outbreak of pneumonia of unknown aetiology in Wuhan City, Hubei province in China emerged in December 2019. A novel coronavirus was identified as the causative agent and was subsequently termed COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Considered a relative of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), COVID-19 is caused by a betacoronavirus named SARS-CoV-2 that affects the lower respiratory tract and manifests as pneumonia in humans. Despite rigorous global containment and quarantine efforts, the incidence of COVID-19 continues to rise, with 90,870 laboratory-confirmed cases and over 3,000 deaths worldwide. In response to this global outbreak, we summarise the current state of knowledge surrounding COVID-19.
Highlights • COVID-19 outbreak has been declared a global health emergency. • COVID-19 has infected over 85,403 people worldwide, significantly more than SARS. • Clinical features of COVID-19 include fever, cough and dyspnoea. • Exact pathophysiological mechanisms are still unknown due to absent animal models. • Various countries have issued travel restrictions, contradicting the WHO's advice.