Emerging Prophylactic Strategies against COVID-19: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Introduction: In December 2019, China faced the COVID-19 outbreak. COVID-19 is a disease caused by the pathogen, SARS-CoV-2 which is a single stranded RNA virus that spreads person to person via direct contact or respiratory droplets. Since this disease has been found to be highly contagious, prevention from virus exposure seems to be a reasonable approach especially due to lack of an effective vaccination up till now. Our study is aimed at proposing the prophylactic strategies that can be implemented in Pakistan to help flatten the disease curve in order to provide more time for healthcare professionals to fight the disease better and to hopefully come up with an effective vaccination for long term disease control. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature review based on PRISMA guidelines. Only those articles were included which met the inclusion criteria. Results: The results gathered by the literature search suggested that due to the lack of any licensed vaccine or effective treatment, adopting personal and environmental protective measures, isolation and quarantine, and other community mitigation measures like temporary lockdown can help flatten the peak of the ongoing pandemic. Conclusion: Since there has not been any breakthrough in finding an effective vaccine, our review aims to devise an effective preventive strategy to curb this pandemic according to the present socio-economic conditions of Pakistan.