The virus doesn’t care about your politics

A virus is a small collection of genetic code, either DNA or RNA, surrounded by a protein coat. A virus cannot replicate alone. Viruses must infect cells and use components of the host cell to make copies of themselves. Often, they kill the host cell in the process, and cause damage to the host organism. Viruses have been found everywhere on Earth. Researchers estimate that viruses outnumber bacteria by 10 to 1. Because viruses don’t have the same components as bacteria, they cannot be killed by antibiotics; only antiviral medications or vaccines can eliminate or reduce the severity of viral diseases, including AIDS, COVID-19, measles and smallpox.

National Human Genome Research Institute

A virus cannot be seen through a microscope. It is not alive like a bacteria. It requires a host cell to survive and replicate. All a virus does is replicate itself. Unfortunately, it tends to damage the host organism in the process.

Humans are the disease vector this time

A pathogen “vector” is defined by the World Health Organization as “living organisms that can transmit infectious pathogens between humans, or from animals to humans.” An example of this would be the role of mosquitoes in transmitting malaria.

In the case of Covid-19, the transmissions occur directly human to human. It is possible to catch the virus from a surface or object that has the virus on it, but the CDC currently says, “This is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads, but we are still learning more about how this virus spreads.”

COVID-19 is mainly spread person-to-person between people who are in close contact (less than 6 feet of separation), through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. The spread of infection can be mitigated through social distancing, handwashing, and avoiding gatherings of more than 10 people. However, these practices are more difficult to enforce in school settings, and younger children who are still learning about personal hygiene can easily spread the virus in school and daycare settings.

Elizabeth Montgomery

The virus replicates mindlessly

The most difficult aspect of this virus is that it can be spread by people who are not showing symptoms. Many people have the bad habit of going to work, or sending their kids to school, when they are ill. But it is difficult to ask people who don’t know they are ill to stay home.

The virus doesn’t care about human decisions. If it has found a home in the cells of a human body, it will replicate voraciously – damaging cells as it does so. If virus-contaminated cells find themselves coughed or sneezed or even exhaled out of a human body, they will lay on the surrounding surfaces until they are not longer viable (we say that a virus “dies” or is “killed,” but that is technically not accurate since they are not alive).

When virus-contaminated cells find their way into a new human body, they mindlessly continue their work of replicating themselves – and damaging cells. The virus is not “smart,” but it does take advantage of EVERY opportunity to spread.

We must break the line of transmission

Until an effective anti-viral vaccination, for this specific pathogen, is found, manufactured, and widely distributed around the world, the only way to slow the spread of the disease is to break its line of transmission. This means dramatically reducing human to human contact. Nothing else will work.

Hand-washing and increased sanitation efforts are important. Social distancing will help outdoors, but it’s effectiveness indoors depends upon the flow of the air in the room and the total amount of time spent in the room. The best solution in public is to wear a mask (and don’t touch your face). If the virus cannot get into your nose or mouth (or if your sneeze or cough or the moisture from your breath cannot escape the mask) the virus cannot move from person to person.

Politicizing science makes things worse

Wishful thinking will not stop this virus. Believing that this virus is no worse than the flu will not save your life. This virus does not care about your “constitutional rights.” The right-wing politicization of this scientific, medical, issue will continue to prolong the crisis. The shameful and short-sighted placing of the economy ahead of public health will continue to increase the damage done to both.

Here is a list of things that will make the problem worse:

• People who do not wear masks in public
• Gatherings of people (there IS no safe group size since any one person could be unknowingly contagious)
• Patronizing indoor bars and restaurants (even if not crowded)
• Opening the schools to in-person education
• Congregating in any large crowd, indoors or out
• Listening to Trump or FoxNews rather than to doctors and scientists

Unfortunately, here in the United States, we have large numbers of people, including many of our political leaders, either doing the things in this list or calling for others to do them.

Sadly, it appears many more will have to die before Americans wake up.

Sources: “Virus,” National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health.
Elizabeth Montgomery, “Defining Covid-19 Terms: Vector,” Arkansas Center for Health Improvement, March 30, 2020.
“How Covid-19 spreads,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, June 16, 2020.