COVID-19: What We Have Learnt and Where Are We Going?

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in high morbidity and mortality, as well as severe social and economic disruption globally. Since the pandemic began in 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome, coronavirus 2, has undergone numerous changes, resulting in the emergence of new variants and subvariants. The emergence of new variants of the virus poses a challenge to scientists. There is currently no SARS-CoV-2 variant meeting the criteria of variants of concern, whereas the only variant of interest is JN.1, and there are six variants under monitoring: LP8.1, NP1.8.1, XEC, KP.3, KP.3.1.1 and the latest, XFG (Stratus). Although the latter appears to be more transmissible than the others, genomic evidence indicates that it is less aggressive than some recent variants. Nevertheless, continuous genomic surveillance of COVID-19 is still important to detect any new variants that could threaten public health. Numerous therapeutic strategies, such as drugs, vaccines, and nutritional supplements, are being used to treat COVID-19. This narrative review is an overview of COVID-19 and its various facets, from the number of cases to the therapies used, the current variants, and the ongoing clinical trials, specifically focusing on the most recent studies.