In recent times, during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, public health experts have slated testing, tracking infected people, as well as tracing their contacts as an efficient method to reduce the viral spread. Numerous diagnostic approaches are reported for detecting the coronavirus in public health, clinical, and research laboratories. Most tests detect the infection directly by detecting the viral RNA, while other tests may indirectly detect the host antibodies in the course of detecting the infection. A diagnostic test during the pandemic should aid in making proper clinical decisions within a short time frame. In this review, we describe the various techniques involved in sample collection from nasal, throat, and sputum specimens, standard and developed methods for the diagnosis of COVID-19 such as the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), CRISPR-based assays, and serological and immunological assays. General information on selected electroactive antiviral COVID-19 drugs has been highlighted, including Favipiravir (FAV), Remdesivir (REM), Lopinavir + Ritonavir (LOP + RIT), Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and Chloroquine (CQ), Ribavirin (RIB), and Sofosbuvir. This review presents the major standard, commercial, and designed methods for detecting SARS-CoV-2 and their analytical performance. Also, chromatographic techniques have been highlighted as a rapid examination for SARS-CoV-2 identification, and some recent advances and emerging trends in analytical methods for COVID-19 diagnosis have been addressed.