A Review of the Current State of Management and Post-Recovery Rehabilitation of COVID-19

In all countries, COVID-19 has had a profound impact on society in general and on healthcare systems in particular. Its route of transmission is similar to that of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and it spreads through respiratory droplets and direct physical contact. It displays greater infectivity rates than the two recent viral outbreaks (SARS and MERS), and early epidemiological studies reveal lower fatality rates. Elderly and multimorbid persons are at the highest risk of developing complications and death. Although men and women are thought to be at equal risk for COVID-19, more men than women are dying, presumably due to sex-based immunological differences and lifestyle factors such as smoking. N95 respirators are thought to be more effective in preventing viral transmission than surgical masks, but the evidence is limited and inconsistent. The current clinical management strategy of COVID-19 is the same as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Novel treatments and therapies such as the use of plasmapheresis, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, and remdesivir have shown promising results in clinical trials for treating COVID-19. The roles of physical rehabilitation and medicine are expected to increase because postrecovery COVID-19 patients are experiencing cardiovascular, neurological, psychological, and cognitive sequalae. Innovative management strategies are needed to limit the spread of disease and to protect vulnerable persons. Significant evidence indicates that the use of telerehabilitation reduces hospitalizations and cardiac events compared to regular care. Actions are needed to prevent deconditioning in rehabilitation patients, and respiratory therapy practices will require close attention to reduce the dispersion of air droplets.