Antibacterial and antiviral high-performance nano-systems to mitigate new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns

Abstract The increased severity of COVID-19 infection due to new SARS-CoV-2 variants have resonated pandemic strategies to re-evaluate effectiveness of pandemic management strategies. This becomes critical due to the shortcomings in the existing global healthcare system in all the developed countries. The designing of high-performance nanosystems (NSs) with tunable performances seems to be the most efficient method to tackle infectious SARS-CoV-2 variants. The opinion projects the versatile functionalized NSs and their innovative potential to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 pathways by sensitization of virus, anti-pathogenicity, photocatalysis, photo-thermal, immune response, and development of ultrasensitive assays for SARS-CoV-2 or associated selective biomarkers identification. In this direction, we propose the fabrication of nano-enabled protective gears, masks, gloves, sheets, filtration units, nano-emulsified disinfectants, paints, and detection systems to facilitate improved quarantine or antiviral spaces. Functional protective gears can even tackle the aerosol distribution of infectious strains transmitted through respiratory fluids and pollutants within droplets, aerosols, air, and particulates.