COVID-19: Biological bases of a pandemic

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is a highly infectious respiratory virus that emerged at the end of 2019 and spread rapidly until it became a pandemic with severe, mainly health, economic, and social consequences. Its virological characteristics are complex and have allowed it to adapt, producing mutations that have increased transmission, produced immune escape, and complicated the control of the pandemic. In this article we develop the impact of the pandemic and the virological bases of the causative agent.