Table 1.
Comparative summary between SARS and COVID-19.
| SARS (SARS-CoV-1) |
COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) |
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Epidemiology | Source of infection | Zoonotic | |
| WHO classification | Epidemic | Pandemic | |
| Duration | November 1, 2002–July 31, 2003 | Decemeber 2019 - ongoing | |
| Number of cases | 8096 [19] | 119,512,530[22] (March 14, 2021) |
|
| Number of deaths | 774 [19] | 2,642,612 [22] (March 14, 2021) |
|
| Total countries affected | 29 [19] | 200+ [21] | |
| Transmission | Primary mode of transmission | Infectious droplets, aerosols | |
| Viability on various surfaces | Similar viability | ||
| Basic reproductive number (R0) | 2–4 [34] | 1.4–6.9 [39] | |
| Additional modes of transmission | Faecal | Faecal, and potentially vertical, and sexual [42], [43], [44], [45], [46] | |
| Nosocomial transmission | Yes | ||
| Peak of contagiousness | Symptomatic phase [34] | Asymptomatic, presymptomatic, and early symptomatic phases [40] | |
| Clinical Course & Complications | Incubation period | 2–10 days [50] | 2–14 days [49] |
| Case Fatality Rate (As per confirmed cases and deaths) |
14–15% [58] | 2% [21] | |
| Most common cause of death | Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) |
||
| Extra-pulmonary disease | Cardiovascular diseases, renal impairment, coagulopathy | Cardiovascular diseases, renal impairment, coagulopathy | |
| Cytokine storm | Associated with ARDS | Associated with ARDS and other complications, more so than in SARS | |
| Therapeutics and Vaccines | Antiviral drugs | No approved drugs | Remdesivir (emergency use authorisation) [136] |
| Other treatments | No evidence of benefit from corticosteroid therapy No anticoagulant protocols needed |
Corticosteroid therapy e.g., dexamethasone [140] Anticoagulant protocols crucial [126] |
|
| Convalescent plasma therapy may have benefit | |||
| Vaccines | Approximately 30 vaccines initially developed with no clinical trials conducted [154] | 150+ vaccines developed; more than 30 candidates have reported results from clinical trials [153] As of March 14, 2021, 6 vaccines have been deployed globally |
|
| Prevention | Public health measures | Isolation of cases Quarantine of close contacts Closure of businesses and schools Restrictions on mass gatherings Cordon sanitaire of high-risk areas |
|
| Infection control precautions | Standard Contact Droplet Airborne |
||