Introduction:

The 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) can cause diseases in both animals and humans.

Objective:

To describe some characteristics of the clinical behavior of COVID-19 in people affected by this disease.

Material and Methods:

A search for relevant literature on the subject was carried out in the first quarter of 2020. Pubmed, Google and Google Scholar were used as search engines to locate scientific information. As eligibility criteria, review articles, research articles and web pages that, in general, were less than 5 years old, were evaluated. This allowed the study of 60 articles, of which 43 were referenced.

Development:

COVID-19 is a zoonotic disease caused by a new β-coronavirus and its evolution in the form of a pandemic, affects more males and people with certain comorbidities. Most cases occur approximately from 3 to 7 days after exposure, although in some people it can take up to 14 days for symptoms to appear. The symptoms can include fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, fatigue, muscle aches, shortness of breath, expectoration, hemoptysis, and diarrhea. The disease can be expressed with a clinical picture from very mild to extremely serious manifestations, which can even cause death.

Conclusions:

COVID-19 has been responsible for significant morbidity and mortality worldwide, especially in adults. Its clinical behavior includes respiratory, general, and digestive symptoms and signs. The fatal outcome is more common in people who have other health problems.

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