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.