Introduction
The first cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by
the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2
(SARS-CoV-2), were reported in China in December 20191and rapidly led to pandemic. Currently, around 5.6 million confirmed
cases of COVID-19 and 353,334 COVID-19-related deaths have been reported
globally.2 These numbers, which are still rising,
likely underestimate the cumulative incidence of COVID-19 due to several
factors; these include limitations of current diagnostic tests, the
extent of population testing and reporting, and the type and timing of
community mitigation strategies adopted by each country, among
others.3 COVID-19 shows a complex clinical profile
with many different presentations. Like in many other viral infections,
subclinical, mild, moderate, or severe cases (10-20% of patients
require hospitalization and 2-4% intensive care unit, ICU) presenting
with or without pneumonia are observed. Asymptomatic cases are common
but, to date, there is a lack of epidemiological surveys that provide a
clear percentage of asymptomatic cases.4,5
The COVID-19 pandemic is the world’s gravest public health crisis of the
21st century, and there is an
urgent need for reliable and updated scientific and clinical
information. COVID-19 is a zoonosis that has now spread worldwide, and
it will be practically impossible to eradicate the SARS-CoV-2 virus
without vaccination. The main question will be to learn how to cope with
this virus, as COVID-19 is becoming an important reason for morbidity
and mortality in many countries. The aim of this paper is to provide
short answers to pressing questions on epidemiology, virology,
immunology, diagnostics, and treatment as well as optimal management of
allergic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic. These 144 answers are
provided by a group of expert scientists and physicians, mainly from
EAACI, and are grouped in 9 sections. All the information will be
updated in the light of new upcoming evidence.