The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted every aspect of our life. The need to provide high-level care for an enormous number of patients with COVID-19 infection during this pandemic has impacted resourcing for and restricted the routine care of all non-COVID-19 conditions.

Novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) also known as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enveloped, non-segmented positive-sense RNA virus belonging to the beta-coronaviridae family. This virus is known to cause severe bilateral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which can lead to difficulty breathing requiring mechanical ventilation and intensive care unit management.

Microbiology is the study of all living organisms that are too small to be visible with the naked eye. This includes bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, prions, protozoa and algae, collectively known as 'microbes'. These microbes play key roles in nutrient cycling, biodegradation/biodeterioration, climate change, food spoilage, the cause and control of disease, and biotechnology. Thanks to their versatility, microbes can be put to work in many ways: making life-saving drugs, the manufacture of biofuels, cleaning up pollution, and producing/processing food and drink.

Infectious diseases are disorders caused by organisms — such as bacteria, viruses, fungi or parasites. Many organisms live in and on our bodies. They're normally harmless or even helpful. But under certain conditions, some organisms may cause disease. Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person.

A virus is an obligate intracellular parasite, meaning that it can only survive within a host cell and depends on it for replication and metabolic processes, e.g., protein synthesis. Viruses can be classified based on their genome (DNA or RNA or other structural components, such as the Capsid, the envelope, and the viral receptor proteins (spikes). The viral replication cycle occurs within the host cell and involves attachment to and penetration of the host cell, uncoating of the nucleic acid, replication of the nucleic acid, synthesis of virus proteins, assembly of the components, and release of new viruses via budding or cell lysis.

Applied microbiology is a scientific discipline that deals with the application of microorganisms and the knowledge about them. Applications include biotechnology, agriculture, medicine, food microbiology and bioremediation.

Clinical microbiology focuses on the isolation and characterization of infectious organisms so they can be managed and treated in patients. Infections can be caused by bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites. Clinical microbiology is arguably the first discipline of personalized medicine.

Medical microbiology, the large subset of microbiology that is applied to medicine, is a branch of medical science concerned with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases. In addition, this field of science studies various clinical applications of microbes for the improvement of health

Molecular biology  is the branch of biology that concerns the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including molecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms and interactions.The central dogma of molecular biology describes the process in which DNA is transcribed into RNA, then translated into protein.

Food microbiology is the scientific study of microorganisms, both in food and used for the production of food. This includes microorganisms that contaminate food, as well as those used in its production; for example to produce yoghurt, cheese, beer and wine.

Pharmaceutical Microbiology provides knowledge and understanding with regards to the significance of the presence of bacteria, yeasts, moulds, viruses and toxins in pharmaceutical raw materials, intermediates, products and pharmaceutical production environments, as well as the microbiological control of pharmaceutical products, production environments and people.

Agricultural microbiology is a branch of microbiology dealing with plant-associated microbes and plant and animal diseases. It also deals with the microbiology of soil fertility, such as microbial degradation of organic matter and soil nutrient transformations.

Microbial ecology is the ecology of microorganisms: their relationship with one another and with their environment. It concerns the three major domains of life Eukaryota, Archaea, and Bacteria as well as viruses. Microorganisms, by their omnipresence, impact the entire biosphere.

Industrial microbiology is a branch of biotechnology that applies microbial sciences to create industrial products in mass quantities, often using microbial cell factories. There are multiple ways to manipulate a microorganism in order to increase maximum product yields. 

Veterinary Microbiology is concerned with bacterial and viral diseases of domesticated vertebrate animals (livestock, companion animals, fur bearing animals, game, poultry, but excluding fish) that supply food, other useful products or companionship. In addition, Microbial diseases of wild and living animals.

Marine microbiology is the study of the microorganisms (bacteria, archaea, viruses and microbial eukaryotes) in the marine environment, including their biodiversity, ecology and biogeochemistry.

Infection control prevents or stops the spread of infections in healthcare settings. This site includes an overview of how infections spread, ways to prevent the spread of infections, and more detailed recommendations by type of healthcare setting.

Immunology is the study of the immune system and is a very important branch of the medical and biological sciences. The immune system protects us from infection through various lines of defence. If the immune system is not functioning as it should, it can result in disease, such as autoimmunity, allergy and cancer.