A thread of information about the biochemistry & biology of COVID-19 that I learned in my molecular biology course as a junior biochemistry major at UT:

The SARS-Cov2 virus (COVID-19) attacks a receptor that lines your entire respiratory tract (~from your throat to below your lungs). This receptor is important for controlling blood pressure and cannot be “knocked out” or blocked from functioning.

This virus replicates normal cellular mRNA within our bodies and hijacks the transcription/translation processes within our cells. This means that our cells cannot differentiate between viral mRNA and cellular mRNA until the virus has already been produced & replicated.

This virus replicates at an incredibly fast rate. So even when the cells eventually do realize that they’ve been infected with a virus & commit apoptosis (programmed cell death), it’s too late. The virus has already replicated beyond control.

However, when these cells commit cell suicide through apoptosis, the dead cells take a little while to clear from inside the lungs. This means that for a period of time, a bunch of dead cells are sitting in the lungs, preventing the normal transport of gases across the lungs.

This inability of the lungs to pump gases across like they’re supposed to can lead to severe, long-term lung damage in patients who don’t die from the disease.

This is just one of the many ways that this virus can result in long-term damage within our bodies.

There’s still so much that scientists don’t know about this novel virus. I’m certainly no expert, and I am at best offering a simplified explanation of part of how this virus operates.

However, the point of this thread was to offer up even a sliver of real, validated scientific evidence regarding the danger & severity of this disease.

I know there has been some conflicting information put out there about COVID-19...

... but this virus is still very serious and very dangerous. It operates within our bodies in ways that the regular flu cannot. Please wear a mask, social distance, & avoid large gatherings/parties.

Regardless of how you feel about how the CDC and the WHO have handled this virus, many of these people are highly educated in virology, biology, biochemistry, public health, etc (MDs, PhDs, etc).