After 2 Years, What is Covid-19 Exactly?
What it is versus what it means to us.
It seems odd to ask this question at this point. But maybe it’s about time to ask again, given that it has been over two years since we discovered Covid-19 in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. So, maybe it’s about time to re-visit what Covid-19 truly is and what Covid-19 means to us.
Covid-19: The basics after two years of research
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 or the less formal Covid-19) is an infectious disease caused by a coronavirus, specifically the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
SARS-CoV-2 uses its spike protein to bind to the ACE2 receptor on human cells. Upon binding, SARS-CoV-2 injects its genetic material to hijack the cell’s machinery to produce more virions, which go on to bind to and hijack other cells. We call this process an infection. So, an infected person means that SARS-CoV-2 has infected at least a cell.
Owing to its unique furin cleavage site in its spike protein, SARS-CoV-2 is remarkably competent at infecting cells — so much so that it has initiated a pandemic. Its capacity to transmit via aerosols — coupled with crowded civilization and unventilated indoor air — further aid its global success.
