covid-19: the new threat

In december 2019 the world has come to know a new coronavirus disease named covid-19. it has affected mainland china mostlyand has spread to all continents of the world except antarctica. patients mostly have come with a flu-like illness and non-specificgastrointestinal symptoms to a lesser extent. in most cases, home isolation is effective. however, cases of moderate to severe pneumoniaand acute respiratory distress syndrome (ards) require hospitalization and few cases need mechanical ventilation. olderadults with a pre-existing medical illness suffer more. different newer molecular techniques are developed to confirm the diagnosis.currently, there is no existing treatment and vaccine. different anti-microbials are on trial. infection prevention practice is thebest for now. with its highly contagious nature and increasing panic among nations, the world is waiting for definitive newer treatmentoptions and a potential vaccine. this narrative review has compiled the updated information about covid-19 in the hope thatit will be helpful to the medical professionals in their knowledge and be prepared for the outbreak of a pandemic.