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Review
. 2021 Oct;14(10):1284-1298.
doi: 10.1016/j.jiph.2021.07.021. Epub 2021 Aug 4.

An Overview on the Epidemiology and Immunology of COVID-19

Affiliations
Review

An Overview on the Epidemiology and Immunology of COVID-19

Maryam Meskini et al. J Infect Public Health. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause illnesses ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and the 2019 novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). Currently, there is no analyzed data to examine the outbreak of COVID-19 by continent and no determination of prevalence trends; this article reviews COVID-19 epidemiology and immunology. Original research, reviews, governmental databases, and treatment guidelines are analyzed to present the epidemiology and immunology of COVID-19. Reports from patients who were COVID-19 infected showed typical symptoms of neutrophilia, lymphopenia, and increased systemic inflammatory proteins of IL-6 and C reactive protein (CRP). These observations agree with the results of severe conditions of MERS or lethal cases of SARS, in which there is an increased presence of neutrophils and macrophages in the airways. Additionally, analyzed data showed that Europe (49.37%), the Americas (27.4%), and Eastern Mediterranean (10.07%) had the most cumulative total per 100,000 population confirmed cases, and Africa (6.9%), Western Pacific (3.46%), and South-East Asia (2.72%) had the lowest cumulative total per 100,000 population confirmed cases. In general, the trend lines showed that the number of confirmed cases (cumulative total) and deaths (cumulative total) would decrease eventually.

Keywords: COVID-19; Coronaviruses; Epidemiology; Immunology.

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Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Three stages of COVID-19 epidemiology.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The number of cumulative total confirmed cases and death cases, also, the number of cumulative total confirmed cases and death cases per 100,000 population, until July 23, 2021.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
The number of newly cumulative total cases and cumulative total cases per 100,000 population in the last seven days until July 23, 2021.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Depicts the number of newly reported cases and deaths in the last 24 hours until July 23, 2021. The trend lines showed an increase and decrease of the newly reported cases and deaths, respectively in the last 24 hours.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
The number of newly cumulative total deaths and cumulative total deaths per 100000 population until July 23, 2021. The trend lines showed a decrease of newly cumulative total deaths and cumulative total deaths per 100000 population.
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
The number of newly cumulative total deaths and cumulative total deaths per 100,000 population in the last seven days until July 23, 2021. The trend line shows that the number of newly cumulative total deaths and cumulative total deaths per 100,000 population decreased in the last seven days. The number of newly cumulative total deaths and cumulative total deaths per 100000 population in the last seven days until July 23, 2021. The trend lines showed a decrease of newly cumulative total deaths and cumulative total deaths per 100000 population in the last seven days.
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
The number of newly cumulative total confirmed and deaths cases until July 23, 2021. The trend lines showed a decrease of newly cumulative total confirmed and deaths cases.
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
A schematic illustration of inflammatory mechanisms in complex immune vasculitis.

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