With more than 99.2 million cases and 2.13 million deaths worldwide (figures for January 2021), the new Coronavirus COVID-19 has spread to nearly every country in the world since it first emerged in China in early 2020.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that cause disease in animals – seven of which, including the new virus, have transferred to humans, with most just causing cold-like symptoms.

COVID-19 is closely related to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which swept around the world in 2002/2003. Another coronavirus is Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), cases of which have been occurring sporadically since 2012.

COVID-19 is different to these two coronaviruses in that the spectrum of the disease is broad, with around 80 per cent of cases leading to a mild infection. There may also be many people carrying the disease and displaying no symptoms, making it even harder to control.

Scientists in China believe that COVID-19 has mutated into two strains, one more aggressive than the other, which could make developing a vaccine more complicated (The Telegraph).

This book offers clinicians a guide to the epidemiology and virology of COVID-19, explaining its clinical features and diagnostic and management techniques.

With the evidence that the disease has more adverse effects in the elderly and those with comorbidities, the text includes guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 in patients with gastrointestinal disorders, diabetes and obesity, kidney disease, pulmonary disorders, cardiovascular disease, and geriatrics.

Pulmonary and haematological manifestations of the disease and ICU support are covered in separate chapters.