Clinical trials during COVID-19: Keeping clinical trial participants informed during this pandemic

Abstract

Currently, per the World Health Organization (WHO), the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) surpassed five million confirmed cases and the numbers continue to alarmingly climb world-wide [1]. COVID-19 is caused by a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) inducing potentially lifethreatening circumstances in all age ranges, primarily in that of 3065 [2]. Especially in light of early studies showing COVID-19 patients with co-morbidities likely to have more severe symptoms and increase risk of death than that of those who did not have co-morbidities [3,4], global municipalities, states and countries have enacted a various forms of quarantine strategies to mitigate the adverse effects of COVID-19 on people and our global society [5].