In November 2019 an unknown species of coronavirus left a bat reservoir and by way of an intermediate host, possibly a Malayan Pangolin, entered the lungs of a human being living in Wuhan, China[1]. This species was zoonotic, meaning it could infect and spread within a human host. The invading virus had one objective: create more virus particles by hijacking the host cells' genetic protein building machinery. It was a parasite[2], like all viruses, that could not replicate itself on its own.
Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
A coyote stands by the roadside, as the spread of the coronavirus pandemic continues, at Golden Gate Bridge View Vista Point across from San Francisco, April 7, 2020.[3] |
