Foreword

It is my proud privilege to introduce the book “COVID-19: Diagnosis and Management”, which is authored by a group from PGIMER, Chandigarh. The timing of this monograph is very apt as it has been about 9 months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is now that we are starting to unravel the various mechanisms of disease pathogenesis and treatment modalities for this viral infection which has infected 29 million people, out of which about 1 million have died till date globally.

It has been the need of the hour to come up with a treatment for this pandemic disease. Moreover, it is of utmost importance that all the information related to COVID -19 should be compiled in one place, a goal which this book will fulfill.

Though the tests for diagnosis of the infection have been developed in the start of the pandemic, there are still some issues in diagnosis, including the sensitivity of the best test available, i.e., Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction.

The book is very well organized and has been divided into two parts; each part is comprised of 6 chapters and covers all the aspects of COVID-19 from the history to the treatment of the disease. Based on the best scientific studies available, the editors and authors have used their vast professional experience to discuss the all clinical aspects of COVID-19, including clinical presentation to diagnosis in the first part and treatment of COVID-19 in the second part, and I am very sure that this compendium will become the benchmark to refer to for any information required on COVID-19.

Whenever we write books, we must have in our minds, as clearly as possible, the affirmation of Carlyle Guerra de Macedo, who was the Director of Pan American Health Organization, relative to the responsibility of what is being published: “It must be remembered that behind each table, every report or material examined, there are lives, there are people, there is suffering, waiting for our efforts and human solidarity.” Both the parts of the book are very well organized, and the readers will get a mine of information available to date on COVID-19 in one place, and it would be helpful to both the clinicians and the lab professionals for day-to-day guidance in various matters. The monograph is comprehensive but is written in a lucid manner that is easy to grasp, and even complex topics are made simple for understanding.

I am also sure that as the knowledge of the virus evolves further, the authors will certainly keep updating the work from time to time, further adding to the importance of the book. I would like to congratulate the editors/authors for this tremendous effort, and I am very sure that this book will surely be of use to readers around the world and help them in the diagnosis and management of patients with COVID-19 and will also go a long way in the efforts to help fight the pandemic, which is being faced by the humanity now.