COVID-19: a pandemic challenging healthcare systems

Abstract Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a global pandemic. Many factors about this disease are still unknown, for example, the questionable original host of SARS-CoV-2. The complex global healthcare systems have been critically challenged by the COVID-19 pandemic. Because mitigating the risk of COVID-19 is a systems engineering issue; a multidisciplinary, coordinated, and cross-sectoral approach based on One Health is required as the health of animals, environment, and humans are closely interconnected. SARS and the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) are introduced as a comparison with COVID-19 in this paper; the similarities, differences, and novelties of COVID-19 are also presented. Specific topics of SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 include symptoms and manifestations; similarities and differences compared with SARS and MERS; the origin of SARS-CoV-2; the infection and spread of SARS-CoV-2; the testing and diagnosis of COVID-19; therapeutics and treatments; and lessons, information-based management, and positive emotions for fighting against COVID-19. Advances and challenges of mitigating COVID-19 with therapeutics, testing, management, etc. are also introduced. The ability of SARS-CoV-2 to cross the species barrier and infect animals, and the applications of telemedicine, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data analytics, and deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) in fighting against COVID-19 are discussed.