Preface

This milestone book, *Biotechnology to Combat COVID-19*, includes contributions by authors from the United States, India, France, Azerbaijan, Russia, Chile, Peru, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Brazil, South Africa, Zambia, New Zealand, Tunisia and Mexico. We thank all contributors for making this book a comprehensive and inclusive platform on COVID-19 that covers almost all topics related to the pandemic and mitigation strategies to combat the disease.

With respect to discussions on the biology and science of SARS-CoV-2, this book has plenty to offer. For example, it includes topics ranging from transmission, epidemiology, genomic structures, and sequencing of the virus to diagnostics, antiviral drugs, repurposing of drugs, vaccines, and co-morbidity, just to name a few. This book also presents authoritative descriptions of the effects of COVID-induced lockdowns and public health measures on the meteorological and climatic aspects in big, industrialized cities in countries with high population density, such as India. It also discusses the societal impact of COVID-related government and public health measures. In addition, the book assesses the roles of media and governments in handling the pandemic.

This book is for a diverse and wide audience, including virologists, epidemiologists, biologists, pharmacists, biomaterial scientists and engineers, medical professionals, clinicians, therapists, public health and government professionals, and all global citizens who have endured and battled against the pandemic.

> **Dr. Megha Agrawal, PhD and Dr. Shyamasri Biswas, PhD** Biotechnology Kiosk, Gainesville, Florida, USA
