Introduction.

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, increases exponentially, affecting the health system, the economy and putting at risk the lives of thousands of people due to the characteristics of contagion, in addition to the possibility of severe compromise in older adults and immunocompromised individuals.

Objective.

Carry out a review of the literature that addresses different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, aimed at professionals in the health sciences or other disciplines, interested in acquiring knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 with a comprehensive vision.

Methods.

A literature search was conducted using Mesh terms in the following databases: Pubmed, Ovid, Clinical Key, Science Direct for analysis and selection according to their relevance in new contributions.

Results.

Various cohort studies, experimental clinical studies, as well as interim practice guidelines from various agencies such as the CDC and WHO were evaluated, identifying the epidemiological characteristics of the pathogen from December 2019 to the present, as well as studies on previous CoVs, preventive guidelines and evaluation of drugs against COVID-19.

Conclusion.

Know the origin of the pathogen, structure, mode of transmission, adequate selection within the diagnostic criteria, among other key points that contribute to the strengthening of new preventive and therapeutic measures that may be implemented by health personnel, generating improvements in the care of patients with possible diagnosis of COVID-19.

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