The Science
What is it?
COVID-19, also known as SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that belongs in the family of coronaviruses. There are four general types of coronaviruses: alpha, beta, delta and gamma; COVID-19 is a beta virus (beta and alpha are the only types that can infect humans). This family of viruses is made up of single stranded RNA genomes. Further research is being conducted to uncover more about the virus, as much is still unknown.
What does it Look like?
SARS-CoV-2 looks like an orb with studs sticking out of it. This structure has been likened to that of a crown, which is where the coronavirus gets its name–that Latin word for crown, corona.
Inside of the sphere, which is a lipid capsule, lies its genetic information, in the form of RNA.
Why Is it so Infectious?
There are a few factors that explain its high infectivity: its shape and its positive sense RNA genome. Coronaviruses attach themselves to a cell by recognizing a certain protein and sticking to it; COVID-19’s prongs just so happen to be really good at clinging. If a single virion can attach itself well enough to cells, it’s easier to initiate infection because it won’t take as many other virions to do so.
A positive sense RNA virus is a virus that can start reproducing immediately after it has invaded a cell; it doesn’t need any other outside enzymes to do so. Therefore, it’s really easy for COVID-19 to not only infect a susceptible organism, but to also proliferate once inside.
What does it do in the Body?
The deadliness of SARS-CoV-2 comes not only from the virus itself but also from our own bodies’ self-destruction. This coronavirus first infects the upper respiratory tract before infecting the lower respiratory tract as well (usually a respiratory virus only affects one). Ultimately resulting in shortness of breath, it kills cells lining our lungs’ airways which then both clog up the airways and push virions down to the lungs, eventually filling the lungs up with fluid and dead cells. Then, our immune systems’ responses exacerbate the issue by starting cytokine storms, which are overreactions to a disease. Not only does this cause fever and inflammation, but it makes the body vulnerable to harmful bacteria.
How does it Spread?
The new coronavirus spreads through contact with an infected person’s respiratory secretions, which are most commonly transmitted via talking or coughing. The entryways into a person’s body are the nose, eyes, and mouth. Transmission most often occurs when individuals are in close contact with each other, specifically closer than six feet. One can also get the virus by touching a surface containing the virus and then touching their face. What makes this virus particularly dangerous is that some infected individuals are asymptomatic and don’t know to self isolate, which inadvertently spreads it to more people.