What COVID-19 is for Non-Science Geeks
So, we’re stuck in lockdown. We’ve been forced to sit in our homes for eight months now with no end in sight. The reason for the world-wide quarantine? It’s a virus we call COVID-19. This minuscule being cannot be seen with the naked eye, yet it has altered our every move. 52.6 million people have become infected and 1.3 million people have died world-wide. It’s important.
What is COVID-19 and why is it here? The audacity it has to come, cause hardship, and change our lives, perhaps forever! Well, not all of us are scientifically educated, we’ve just accepted the fact that it is something dangerous and it’s contagious. Well, if you’re looking for a place for a simpler explanation in all this chaos, you’ve come to the right place.
COVID-19, or coronavirus, is a virus. Simply put, a virus can be thought of as an “infectious agent” whose primary goal is to create more of themselves, or spread. The scarier part: they’re not technically alive. Some of them have milder effects, while others are devastating. Sounds like something straight out of a horror film, right?!
COVID-19 is a zoonotic pathogen (a disease-causing agent), meaning that it is passed from animals to humans (think “zoo” in zoonotic to remember it’s related to animals). It emerged in Wuhan, China, late December last year. From there, it spread, causing a global pandemic. It’s a respiratory virus — it attacks your respiratory tract (the parts of the body that air passes through when breathing).
COVID-19 is passed through airborne transmission, more specifically, tiny droplets, as well as physical contact. Its symptoms take two to fourteen days to appear after being exposed to the virus, meaning it can be spread by those who aren’t even aware they’re sick. Oh yeah, and they’re small. Like REALLY small. The coronavirus ranges from 70–90 nanometers. To truly understand how small that is, think of how long a meter is — around 3 feet right? A nanometer is 1 billionth of a meter and it can’t be seen even by a light microscope.
The design, however, of this virus is what makes it menacing. Spike-like proteins, called glycoproteins, border the virus’s surface. To visualize, take a look at your arm. There are small hairs that encircle the skin of your arm. These hairs are like the spikes on the virus, except on the virus they are used to attach to cells within our body. The surface of the virus itself is called a “membranous envelope” because it envelopes the virus’s genetic material, just like our clothes.
Inside the virus, the genetic material is found: the RNA. Don’t get scared by the words “genetic” and “RNA.” Think of the genetic material of COVID-19 as its instruction manual; its brain. The virus itself has all the components needed to infect and reproduce, but the genetic material is the driving force of those actions. RNA is simply the (abbreviated) name we have given this genetic material of COVID-19 (and many other viruses). It stands for ribonucleic acid and it’s extremely similar to DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the genetic material of humans, except that it contains a slight change in structure.
After infiltrating the host cell, the RNA in COVID-19 takes control. Alone, the virus is like a stationary car. But with RNA, it’s able to move forward and reproduce. How? COVID-19 hijacks our cells and reads its RNA to use the cells’ parts and make more of itself. This process causes your body’s defense system, the immune system, to react which causes the symptoms of sickness we see; the coughs, fever, shortness of breath, fatigue, etc.
But that’s not all that makes this virus sinister. If its pernicious structure wasn’t frightening enough, many people who contract the virus are asymptomatic; they never show symptoms, even after the incubation period ends. These people unknowingly can spread the virus, simply because of their genetics (Remember? The instruction manual is specific to their body.)
And, COVID-19 can mutate. When I first learned about virus mutation, it scared me. But, after learning the technicalities, it makes sense, albeit adding to the whole theme of them being malicious beings. It’s perhaps the most important factor in why COVID-19, and all viruses, are so hazardous. Funny part is, mutation is actually a mistake. When the virus is reproducing within the cell, a mutation is caused by a mistake in reading its genetic material. Imagine building a LEGO but a page is ripped out of the instructions. There’s going to be a mistake in the LEGO if the page is skipped, right? Same with viruses. After the first time our body’s are exposed to a virus, our immune system recognizes the virus and is prepared to defend against it more efficiently the next time. But, when a virus mutates, the immune system loses its familiarity of the pathogen and is prone to be infiltrated yet again. This is why COVID-19 can be even more of a threat. If and when a vaccine is developed, a mutation in the virus could lead to another global pandemic.
All this doesn’t mean that we’re helpless. Uncountable professional scientists all over the world are working to develop a vaccine — in fact, we’re quite close to one now. The scientifically educated have also advised us to do a variety of things to slow the spread, one being quarantine. However, there are more. Obviously, washing your hands (to stay clean and rid the surface of your body of any pathogens), but the newer ones are wearing a mask and social distancing. You probably have heard a lot about these two, but for a good reason. Remember how COVID-19 spreads through droplets (from sneezes, coughs, etc.)? Socially distancing yourself from others reduces the chance of you coming in contact with droplets from others. And face-masks? They significantly lower the amount of droplets spread from your body (in case you are infected) as well as reduce the chances that external droplets will enter your body through the nose and mouth.
So, main idea? Be informed (not frightened), wear a mask, stay six feet apart, and stay at home because not only are you keeping yourself and your family safe, but you’re keeping others safe too.
