Abstract
The human population is in the midst of battling a rapidly-spreading virus— Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, responsible for Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19. Despite the resurgences in positive cases after reopening businesses in May, the country is seeing a shift in mindset surrounding the pandemic as people have been eagerly trickling out from federally-mandated quarantine into restaurants, bars, and gyms across America. History can teach us about the past, and today’s pandemic is no exception. Without a vaccine available, three lessons from the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic may arm us in our fight against COVID-19. First, those who survived the first wave developed immunity to the second wave, highlighting the potential of passive immunity-based treatments like convalescent plasma and cell-based therapy. Second, the long-term consequences of COVID-19 are unknown. Slow-progressive cases of the Spanish flu have been linked to bacterial pneumonia and neurological disorders later in life, emphasizing the need to reduce COVID-19 transmission. Third, the Spanish flu killed approximately 17 to 50 million people, and the lack of human response, overcrowding, and poor hygiene were key in promoting the spread and high mortality. Human behavior is the most important strategy for preventing the virus spread and we must adhere to proper precautions. This review will cover our current understanding of the pathology and treatment for COVID-19 and highlight similarities between past pandemics. By revisiting history, we hope to emphasize the importance of human behavior and innovative therapies as we wait for the development of a vaccine.Graphical
Highlights
The human population is in the midst of battling a rapidly-spreading virus— Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2, responsible for Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19
According to the data collected by Johns Hopkins University, there are more than 8 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 437,500 deaths worldwide as of June 15, 2020 [1]
The second lesson is that the end of Spanish flu cases in 1920 marking the eradication of the pandemic may not capture the full picture of the pandemic
Summary
The lungs are the primary site of infection and most patients with COVID-19 present with some form of respiratory impairment. ACE2 is upregulated in the presence of lung tissue damage due to interferon activity [48] This contradictory mechanism highlights the complexity of SARS-Cov-2 infection in the respiratory tract. The exact mode of SARS-CoV-2 entry to the liver is unknown, and further research is needed to differentiate whether injuries are due to drug treatments, systemic inflammation caused by pulmonary infection, or viral infiltration of liver tissue [65]. Pericytes are robust targets of SP binding due to their elevated ACE2 expression, and pericyte infection results in microvascular dysfunction that worsens cardiac symptoms [58] infection of non-lung organs may further exacerbate pulmonary infection and other comorbidities such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. COVID-19’s affinity for the ACE2 receptor may have detrimental effects on the cardiovascular system, potentially causing acute and chronic cardiac injury in patients. The serious long-term repercussions of COVID-19 should be closely monitored in infected patients with high SP and ACE2 expression
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
