Current Understanding, Knowledge Gaps and a Perspective on the Future of COVID-19 Infections: A Systematic Review

A novel coronavirus infection, which began as an outbreak of unusual viral pneumonia in Wuhan, a central city in China, has evolved into a global health crisis. The outbreak is an unembellished reminder of the hazard coronaviruses pose to public health. Government and researchers around the world have been taking swift measures to control the outbreak and conduct aetiological studies to understand the various facets of the outbreak. This review is an attempt at providing an insight about the current understanding, knowledge gaps and a perspective on the future of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infections. All the authentic data published so far on COVID-19 has been systematically analysed. PubMed, NCBI, World Health Organisation, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention databases and bibliographies of relevant studies up to 22(nd) June 2020 have been included. The Wuhan outbreak is a stark reminder of the continuing threat posed by zoonotic diseases to global health. Despite an armamentarium of Government officials, researchers and medical fraternity working towards the containment of this novel coronavirus viral pneumonia continues to spread at an alarming rate infecting multitudes and claiming hundreds of lives.