New Year, New Threat

What’s all the Commotion?

A month into 2020 and it has already caused a rollercoaster of emotions and stress.  Many countries have put aside their differences in the efforts to try and combat what is called the coronavirus.  Let’s start with the basics. The coronavirus is a classification of respiratory viruses that are part of the Coronaviridae family, according to the Wikipedia page highlighting the coronavirus.  This specific coronavirus is called the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). It consists of a single-stranded (plus strand) enveloped RNA virus. This description reflects the general characteristics of viruses that were brought to my attention in class. This virus is unique in that it is enveloped, meaning that they have a higher sensitivity to disinfectants. In my opinion, the molecular structure of a virus is vital to understand because it ultimately dictates how we can combat this virus to the best to our ability.

According to a New York Times article, symptoms of this viral infection include coughing, shortness of breath, and fever. In addition, from the time that an individual is exposed to the time that he or she begins to show symptoms can last from 2 days to 2 weeks. This time period is known as the incubation period. This virus is known to pass to others through droplet transmission, a form of direct transmission that was covered in class. Moreover, liquid droplets are produced when people do what is most common to human nature, such as talk, sneeze, cough, and laugh, to name a few. From there, non-infected individuals may accidentally inhale these droplets if they are in close range. An infected person of this coronavirus can transmit it to approximately 1.5 to 3.5 people. I was shocked to learn that this could be as close as six feet away! Most of the conversations I have had in the last few days have been in closer ranges than this! There is still much to discover about the virus, such as if it can be transmitted prior to the appearance of the symptoms. I believe that this is by far one of the most dangerous aspects of this virus. Not knowing whether you have it and are transmitting it to your loved ones is a scary thought.

Where it All Began

Bats. That’s right, you read that right. According to Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News, the outbreak of this particular virus began in Wuhan, China. A group of researchers in Wuhan discovered that the strains of 2019-nCoV found in patients at the beginning of the outbreak closely resembled those found within a particular strain of coronavirus in bats – a high resemblance of 96%, to be exact. It is very possible that an animal that was being sold at the Wuhan seafood market received this virus from a bat, and from there, it was transmitted to a human once they ate it. Or, it could have been that someone simply ate a bat and got infected. As discussed in class, while this zoonotic disease exists in both humans and animals, it seems to be more harsh in humans than in animals. This can be attributed to the fact that the virus was obtained accidentally. Knowing that bats are very likely the starting host, I certainly won’t be looking at bat decorations during Halloween the same way again. The fact that it was spread from eating animals frightens me a bit. It leads me to think about how other animals that many humans like to eat, such as chicken and fish, could also potentially carry diseases that we have no knowledge of, despite our very advanced technological world.

Now What?

According to the same New York Times article, as of January 30, the outbreak of this virus has been deemed a global health emergency. It will be a challenge to contain this virus because it is transmitted through droplet transmission, a form of direct transmission that is in a way, a part of human nature. It is part of human nature to interact with people every day and travel to our destinations, wherever that may be. While there are many lockdowns, as well as restrictions in travel in China, I believe that travel should be limited from country to country at this time due to the spread of the virus. For the time being, while families should not be split up, it may be best to do so in order to protect your friends and families back at home. As the numbers of individuals infected with the coronavirus continue to gradually rise throughout the world, we should not forget about another viral infection that is generally known to be common during these winter months: the influenza. It is of utmost importance that you protect yourselves from illnesses this season by cleaning your hands regularly by using soap and water. Even hand sanitizer can go a long ways to keep you from getting ill. The best we can do is follow these sanitary guidelines and hope that others are practicing the same procedure. May the odds be in your favor!