A comprehensive update on COVID-19 as a global health emergency

The recent pandemic witnessed worldwide was the ultimate result of the viral outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). It has continued to be a nuisance since December 2019 to date. Over the course of time, several variants of the virus emerged, as a result of mutation, that varied in severity of causing and spreading the disease. The methodical approach for this review included a literature review using traditional search methods viz. PubMed/MEDLINE/Google Scholar, etc., from their inception until July 2024 using the following search strings: “SARS-CoV-2,” “outbreak,” “transmission,” “distribution,” “COVID-19 variants,” “Long COVID-19,” “clinical symptoms,” “diagnosis,” “therapeutics,” “prevention,” “vaccination,” etc. Articles in languages other than English were excluded. This review provides a comprehensive overview including the present status of the COVID-19 pandemic situation in the world as well as in India, with special emphasis on the distribution, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, therapeutics, and vaccination/preventative strategies. It is quite essential that collaborative efforts and/or a “One Health” approach must be implemented, in addition to the awareness regarding prevention and management strategies to handle any future public health hazards like the COVID-19 pandemic situation.