John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

If you don't understand why this is a big deal, please read this.

COVID-19 EXPLAINED..

“Why Coronavirus is a bigger deal than Seasonal flu? Here it is in a nutshell. I hope this helps. Feel free to share this to others who don’t understand...

It has to do with RNA sequencing.... I.e. genetics.

Seasonal flu is an “all human virus”. The DNA/RNA chains that make up the virus are recognized by the human immune system. This means that your body has some immunity to it before it comes around each year... you get immunity two ways...through exposure to a virus, or by getting a flu shot.

Novel viruses, come from animals.... the WHO tracks novel viruses in animals, (sometimes for years watching for mutations). Usually these viruses only transfer from animal to animal (pigs in the case of H1N1) (birds in the case of the Spanish flu). But once, one of these animal viruses mutates, and starts to transfer from animals to humans... then it’s a problem, Why? Because we have no natural or acquired immunity.. the RNA sequencing of the genes inside the virus isn’t human, and the human immune system doesn’t recognize it so, we can’t fight it off.

Now.... sometimes, the mutation only allows transfer from animal to human, for years it’s only transmission is from an infected animal to a human before it finally mutates so that it can now transfer human to human... once that happens..we have a new contagion phase. And depending on the fashion of this new mutation, that what decides how contagious, or how deadly it’s gonna be..

H1N1 was deadly....but it did not mutate in a way that was as deadly as the Spanish flu. It’s RNA was slower to mutate and it attacked its host differently, too.

Fast forward.

Now, here comes this Coronavirus... it existed in animals only, for nobody knows how long...but one day, at an animal market, in Wuhan China, in December 2019, it mutated and made the jump from animal to people. At first, only animals could give it to a person... But here is the scary part.... in just TWO WEEKS it mutated again and gained the ability to jump from human to human. Scientists call this quick ability, “slippery”

This Coronavirus, not being in any form a “human” virus (whereas we would all have some natural or acquired immunity). Took off like a rocket. And this was because, Humans have no known immunity...doctors have no known medicines for it.

And it just so happens that this particular mutated animal virus, changed itself in such a way the way that it causes great damage to human lungs..

That’s why Coronavirus is different from seasonal flu, or H1N1 or any other type of influenza.... this one is slippery AF. And it’s a lung eater...And, it’s already mutated AGAIN, so that we now have two strains to deal with, strain S, and strain L....which makes it twice as hard to develop a vaccine.

We really have no tools in our shed, with this. History has shown that fast and immediate closings of public places has helped in the past pandemics. Philadelphia and Baltimore were reluctant to close events in 1918 and they were the hardest hit in the US during the Spanish Flu.

Factoid: Henry VIII stayed in his room and allowed no one near him, till the Black Plague passed...(honestly...I understand him so much better now). Just like us, he had no tools in his shed, except social isolation...

And let me end by saying....right now it’s hitting older folks harder... but this genome is so slippery...if it mutates again (and it will). Who is to say, what it will do next.

Be smart folks... acting like you’re unafraid is so not the cool thing right now.

#flattenthecurve. Stay home folks... and share this to those that just are not catching on. 🤓"

shieldsadvert

Thanks for the excellent explanation.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

John, I see not reference cited here. Is this an original thesis?
--Bob

IDguy Loc: Idaho

Thanks for a new insight.

littlebug Loc: woburn ma

Thank you for the update like many people I know very little about viruses

ggab Loc: ?

From "Livescience.com"
By Rachael Rettner - Senior Writer January 29, 2020

"In the study, published today (Jan. 29) in the journal The Lancet, the researchers analyzed 10 genome sequences of the novel coronavirus, dubbed 2019-nCoV, obtained from nine patients in China who were sick with the virus.
They found that all 10 of the genome sequences were extremely similar — they shared more than 99.98% of the same genetic sequence, the authors said. This suggests the virus made its "jump" to humans very recently, because if that jump had happened long ago, the virus sequences would have differed more, given the fast rate at which viruses tend to mutate and evolve.

"It is striking that the sequences of 2019-nCoV described here from different patients were almost identical," study co-lead author Weifeng Shi, a professor at the Key Laboratory of Etiology and Epidemiology of Emerging Infectious Diseases in Universities of Shandong Province, affiliated with Shandong First Medical University, said in a statement. "This finding suggests that 2019-nCoV originated from one source within a very short period and was detected relatively rapidly."

To learn more about the virus' origins, the researchers compared the 2019-nCoV genetic sequence with those in a library of viral sequences, and found that the most closely related viruses were two coronaviruses that originated in bats; both of those coronaviruses shared 88% of their genetic sequence with that of 2019-nCoV. (When compared with two other coronaviruses known to infect people — SARS and MERS — 2019-nCoV shared about 79% of its genetic sequence with SARS and 50% with MERS.) Based on these results, the authors said the 2019-nCoV likely originated in bats. However, no bats were sold at the Huanan seafood market, which suggests that another yet-to-be-identified animal acted as a steppingstone of sorts to transmit the virus to humans.

"It seems likely that another animal host is acting as an intermediate host between bats and humans," said study co-lead author Guizhen Wu, of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Overall, the outbreak of 2019-nCoV "again highlights the hidden virus reservoir in wild animals and their potential to occasionally spill over into human populations," the authors wrote.

A previous study suggested snakes, which were sold at the Huanan seafood market, as a possible source of 2019-nCoV. However, some experts have criticized the study, saying it's unclear if coronaviruses can infect snakes. "

John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

The source from which I got it didn’t say and I thought it too informative to ignore. As it didn’t have rant soundings I didn’t think it just someones meme.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

At least one other person posted it yesterday and gave credit to someone else.

A note, all viruses started one way and mutated. In some cases they became worse (and usually self limiting - kill a host too fast and they don't spread the virus as much) or they become milder and get lumped in with colds etc.
Chances are, based on the past, this will pass and a new one will appear from somewhere in the future.

survivaldealer Loc: NE Utah

The Corona virus is man-made. It’s a laboratory invention. And it’s patented. Disturbing but true.

Close your eyes. Imagine a world where disease-carrying pathogens are considered “inventions.” Now open your eyes. You live in that world!

The U.S. Patent Office indicates that Corona virus is Patent No. US10130701B2 (Nov. 20, 2018). Click on the below link — and see for yourself —

Corona Patent –> https://patents.google.com/patent/US10130701/en

Ollieboy

I"ll have what he's drinking.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

Thanks.

berchman Loc: South Central PA

traderjohn Loc: New York City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPpoJGYlW54
More or less along the same line.

fetzler Loc: North West PA

You have been drinking too much. There are many Corona viruses some cause colds. COVID-19 is the current problem.

All should reflect on the following statistics. Presently 0.003% of humanity has been infected with COVID-19 and most recover. Each year 0.24% of humanity dies of other infectious diseases without notice. Then there are strokes, heat attacks and traffic fatalities - all more likely to kill you. Here I fear that the ticking counter and hysteria are more of a problem than the disease.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

You laugh, but the aliens living at Area 51 helped develop that virus.