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Factsheet on the COVID-19 pathogen, surveillance, clinical features, epidemiology, transmission, case management, and public health control measures.

Infection prevention and control (IPC) measures aim at mitigating the spread of pathogens in healthcare settings, decreasing the risk of outbreaks, and further reducing the burden on personnel and resources.

Public health authorities can take several measures to mitigate the negative effects of COVID-19 at individual and community or population level.

Most SARS-CoV-2 infections do not require hospitalisation or medical treatment and can be managed at home or in outpatient settings.

Optimal specimens for the detection of current infection with SARS-CoV-2 are collected from the upper respiratory tract.

A person can become infected through the inhalation of respiratory droplets from an infected individual or through direct contact with infected droplets through the eyes, mouth, or nose.

Symptoms may vary, both in frequency and severity, depending on the SARS-CoV-2 variant causing the disease episode.

COVID-19 disease is caused by a virus of the coronavirus family, SARS-CoV-2, in the order of nidovirales.

Well-designed, representative sentinel surveillance systems in primary and secondary care remain the core surveillance method for acute viral respiratory infections.

COVID-19 is a disease under surveillance in the European Union (EU) and must be reported by all Member States.