Who would have thought that the mere 27 cases of pneumonia in Wuhan, China would end up throwing the world into turmoil? On March 11, 2020, COVID- 19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and since then, researchers worldwide have been trying to develop a vaccine. As of now, researchers have identified some parts of how the virus works, how it’s transmitted, and ways we can slow down its spread.
how did covid-19 arise?
COVID-19 is similar to most animal viruses in that it is an infectious genetic element packaged in a lipid membrane with associated membrane proteins. Upon sequencing of this element and comparisons to different coronavirus strains, researchers have determined the virus to originate from bats.
However, these comparisons also showed that humans did not contract the virus directly from bats. Instead, it is likely that the virus was transmitted through an intermediate host, pangolins.
What are pangolins? Credits: Shutterstock