An Analysis on COVID-19 Epidemic in Iran and the World

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is caused by Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and its common symptoms are similar to other respiratory viral diseases such as loss of smell, fatigue and myalgia, cough and fever. In these patients, the symptoms of the runny nose are less than other respiratory viral diseases. Also, the distance between infection and the onset of symptoms is relatively longer than other respiratory viral diseases, and its contagious rate is very high.

This is a short review and the authors have used some of their personal experiences to analyze the data and findings.

Laboratory tests such as Reverse-Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) have an accuracy of approximately 71% for the detection of COVID-19. CT scan is a very accurate tool for this purpose, its accuracy according to initial reports is about 98%. So far, no effective vaccine has been found for this disease, although some vaccines have been introduced.

In patients hospitalized with the possibility of developing COVID-19 in the hospital, CT scan is a more sensitive and faster alternative to RT-PCR.