6 ms·

I upvoted this just because of the nature.com link - but after I actually read it, I am disapointed. Summary: Q: Why does the coronavirus spread so easily betw

I upvoted this just because of the nature.com link - but after I actually read it, I am disapointed. Summary: Q: Why does the coronavirus spread so easily between people? A: We don't know yet The results presented not verified by experiments yet. "But some researchers are cautious about overstating the role of the activation site in helping the coronavirus to spread more easily. “We don’t know if this is going to be a big deal or not,” says Jason McLellan, a structural biologist at the University of Texas at Austin"

mistersquid 7y ago
This article made me get off my digital duff and Google "how do asymptomatic diseases enter the body COVID 19". This Harvard health blog provides a few explanations. [0] [0] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/as-coronavirus-spreads-many-questions-and-some-answers-2020022719004 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/as-coronavirus-spreads-m...
mazsa 7y ago
"Why does the coronavirus spread so easily between people?" One of the reasons is the transmission from asymptomatic contacts, e.g. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2001468 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2001468
dmtroyer 7y ago
So it is not a click-bait title, they are actually asking the question.
- SilasX 7y ago
  Eh, a question like this normally implies they're going to definitively answer it. I think a non-clickbaity title would be more like: "Where are we in understanding why the coronavirus spreads so easily?"
giarc 7y ago
>A: We don't know yet That's a gross oversimplification of the article. They have identified proteins and associated host-cell enzymes and can postulate why this combination would result in greater spread (and additionally why other organs are affected).
gzu 7y ago
It's really not hard to grasp why it would spread quickly. This virus harbors in the respiratory system of an infected patient. The viral infection invades cells and releases more of the virus. This is so contagious because: 1. Everyone breaths in nearly 8000 liters of air each day 2. Virus are so small that they stay suspended in air for a while, some estimates are 30min (think how smoke stays afloat) 3. We have no innate immunity to this novel virus
- tlb 7y ago
  Your points suggest that every respiratory virus should be highly contagious, but don't explain why this one is more contagious than other similar viruses.
  - guscost 7y ago
    This one is more contagious than a common cold?
    - whatshisface 7y ago
      It's more contagious than its close relative, SARS.
  - gzu 7y ago
    see point 3
- kingkawn 7y ago
  Yes, all good conjecture that is likely accurate, but wildly important to not only proceed based on these assumptions and to get definitive proof of the mechanisms
  - gzu 7y ago
    I'd bet by the time we get definite scientific proof of the mechanisms, the every city in the country will have outbreaks.
dwnvoted2hell 7y ago
"The results presented not verified by experiments yet." Okay. Who is going to sign up for that experiment? And while we're at let's try another one for HIV and another for hepatitis.
nhumrich 7y ago
If they knew the answer, the headline wouldn't be a question, it would be a statement.
- js2 7y ago
  The headline is ambiguous. It could be inferred that the question is answered in the article. A clearer headline would be: "Scientists are trying to understand why the coronavirus spreads so easily between people."
  - ksk 7y ago
    Well, to be fair, its not meant to be a textbook or a journal article where being super explicit matters much more. It's a fun article for laypeople like us.
epanchin 7y ago
If respected sources waited until they knew the answer, the only available sources would be unreliable. So if that is the only conclusion, at least there is an authoritative one published.

mistersquid 7y ago

This article made me get off my digital duff and Google "how do asymptomatic diseases enter the body COVID 19". This Harvard health blog provides a few explanations. [0] [0] https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/as-coronavirus-spreads-many-questions-and-some-answers-2020022719004 https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/as-coronavirus-spreads-m...

mazsa 7y ago

"Why does the coronavirus spread so easily between people?" One of the reasons is the transmission from asymptomatic contacts, e.g. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2001468 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2001468

dmtroyer 7y ago

So it is not a click-bait title, they are actually asking the question.

SilasX 7y ago
Eh, a question like this normally implies they're going to definitively answer it. I think a non-clickbaity title would be more like: "Where are we in understanding why the coronavirus spreads so easily?"

giarc 7y ago

>A: We don't know yet That's a gross oversimplification of the article. They have identified proteins and associated host-cell enzymes and can postulate why this combination would result in greater spread (and additionally why other organs are affected).

gzu 7y ago

It's really not hard to grasp why it would spread quickly. This virus harbors in the respiratory system of an infected patient. The viral infection invades cells and releases more of the virus. This is so contagious because: 1. Everyone breaths in nearly 8000 liters of air each day 2. Virus are so small that they stay suspended in air for a while, some estimates are 30min (think how smoke stays afloat) 3. We have no innate immunity to this novel virus

tlb 7y ago
Your points suggest that every respiratory virus should be highly contagious, but don't explain why this one is more contagious than other similar viruses.
- guscost 7y ago
  This one is more contagious than a common cold?
  - whatshisface 7y ago
    It's more contagious than its close relative, SARS.
- gzu 7y ago
  see point 3
kingkawn 7y ago
Yes, all good conjecture that is likely accurate, but wildly important to not only proceed based on these assumptions and to get definitive proof of the mechanisms
- gzu 7y ago
  I'd bet by the time we get definite scientific proof of the mechanisms, the every city in the country will have outbreaks.

dwnvoted2hell 7y ago

"The results presented not verified by experiments yet." Okay. Who is going to sign up for that experiment? And while we're at let's try another one for HIV and another for hepatitis.

nhumrich 7y ago

If they knew the answer, the headline wouldn't be a question, it would be a statement.

js2 7y ago
The headline is ambiguous. It could be inferred that the question is answered in the article. A clearer headline would be: "Scientists are trying to understand why the coronavirus spreads so easily between people."
- ksk 7y ago
  Well, to be fair, its not meant to be a textbook or a journal article where being super explicit matters much more. It's a fun article for laypeople like us.

epanchin 7y ago

If respected sources waited until they knew the answer, the only available sources would be unreliable. So if that is the only conclusion, at least there is an authoritative one published.