Physical exercise and covid-19: mechanisms of action and strategies to combat the effects of social isolation

At the end of 2019, a new aggressive infectious respiratory disease was identified as COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019). The outbreak of COVID-19, which was originated in China, was quickly transmitted to more than 200 countries, which is why the World Health Organization, in the first half of March 2020, classified it as a Pandemic. It is known to the academic community that SARS-COV-2 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2), with high transmission speed, represents the type of coronavirus responsible for COVID-19. Although the pathophysiological mechanisms related to SARS-CoV-2 are unknown in their accuracy and complexity, the genomic similarities with SARS-CoV can help explain the inflammatory response in conjunction with a major change in the functioning of the immune system, which can result in the emergence of severe pneumonia, in addition to other pathological changes. This fact has led most countries to take several restrictive actions, such as social isolation, which, to the extent that it promotes a certain control in the development of the pandemic, can lead the individual to sedentarism and to important emotional changes. In this context, the adequate practice of physical exercise, with its well-known immunostimulating and anti-stress effects, can be a considerable component in the fight against Pandemic. Therefore, using the available scientific literature as a basis, this study aims to present characteristics of the new Coronavirus, demonstrate the impacts of COVID-19 and to approach the practice of physical exercises as a non-pharmacological strategy to prevent and avoid the worsening of the disease.