Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a topic covered in the Washington Manual of Medical Therapeutics.

To view the entire topic, please or .

The Washington Manual is an award-winning, complete mobile solution for nurses and students. Look up information on diseases, tests, and procedures; then consult the database with 5,000+ drugs or refer to 65,000+ dictionary terms. Explore these free sample topics:

-- The first section of this topic is shown below --

General Principles

  • COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has spread globally. Infection can be asymptomatic or manifest with a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild respiratory disease to acute hypoxic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation support.
  • SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus transmitted through respiratory droplets during talking, coughing, or sneezing. There is an increased risk of infection with prolonged exposure to an infected person (being within 6 ft for at least 15 minutes) or shorter exposures to individuals who are symptomatic.1

-- To view the remaining sections of this topic, please or --

General Principles

  • COVID-19 is caused by a novel coronavirus, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that has spread globally. Infection can be asymptomatic or manifest with a wide range of symptoms, ranging from mild respiratory disease to acute hypoxic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation support.
  • SARS-CoV-2 is a single-stranded RNA virus transmitted through respiratory droplets during talking, coughing, or sneezing. There is an increased risk of infection with prolonged exposure to an infected person (being within 6 ft for at least 15 minutes) or shorter exposures to individuals who are symptomatic.1

There's more to see -- the rest of this topic is available only to subscribers.