This review highlights the symptoms, epidemiology, transmission, pathogenesis, phylogenetic analysis and future directions to control the spread of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The main findings of this review include:

• Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) represents global public health concern and WHO declares public health emergency.
• The phylogenetic analysis revealed that COVID-19 is potentially a zoonotic virus.
• Special attention is necessary to protect or reduce transmission in susceptible populations.
• COVID-19 develop intestinal symptoms like diarrhea, while low percentage of MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV patients had diarrhea.
• Identification of novel chemotherapeutic drugs for treating COVID-19 infections is urgently warranted.