1 - Introduction

Abstract

At the end of 2019, a new zoonotic coronavirus originated in China, which was called the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This virus first generated the denomination by the World Health Organization (WHO) of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), and later of pandemic. The impact of this COVID-19 pandemic has affected the entire world. Latin America has not been the exception, and with this this Consensus, which brings together the work of experts from different countries in the region, gathered in the Pan American Association of Infectious Diseases (API), seeks to serve as a guide, especially for those countries in which to date have not developed clear guidelines, especially in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease, but also in other epidemiological and preventive aspects. This consensus is divided into parts. This one, corresponds to the first, Introduction.