Coronavirus? Antibody?
Vaccine? What does this mean?
Ever since the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus
has normalized among us,
We learn something new that changes what we have to do.
Let me explain what we know.
I start by briefly looking into the coronavirus on the protein level.
Then I relate the biology to the real world of:
soaps, cleaners, time, and the sun, drugs, antibodies, and vaccines.
I end with an explanation of face masks,
keeping distant, and aerosols.
I explain the newest research from primary scientific literature
to help those who are unsure.
Let's look at the structure of a coronavirus.
A coronavirus is a spherical particle
made up of a lipid bilayer with a protective shell,
also called the viral envelope,
similar to the cell membrane that surrounds animal cells.
The lipid keeps the inside and outside separated as a barrier.
Immersed in the lipid layer are proteins.
The most well-known coronavirus protein
is the spike protein,
which functions to bind the human host cell at the ACE 2 receptor found in the human respiratory system.
The two other main structural proteins, are the M-protein,
the central organizer for coronavirus,
and the E-protein, which helps with virus assembly
to released from the host's cell.
Inside the coronavirus is single-stranded RNA
that is bound to nucleocapacid proteins.
The proteins also assist in replication.
Now that we understand the coronavirus structure,
Let's talk about how we can destroy it
first let's focus outside of the body,
where the virus cannot survive too long without a host.
Soaps work by separating the lipids in the viral envelope,
just like soap works for destroying grease on dishes.
Be sure to wash for the full 20 seconds!
Cleaners destroy the surface proteins
breaking them apart, or denaturing, their structure.
Cleaning products need to contain hypochlorites such as chlorine-based disinfectants and bleach.
Most products on the market have these chemicals.
Alternatively, if the cleaners are alcohol-based
The alcohol needs to be at least 60% for ethanol and 70% for rubbing alcohol to be effective.
On surfaces, with time the coronavirus will eventually dry up.
The amount of time depends on the surface material type.
The UV light from direct sunlight can
damage the RNA within the coronavirus.
It only takes about 7 minutes with the direct summer uv levels,
but the indirect UV rays will take 19 minutes to damage the RNA.
Let's move to ways of destroying the coronavirus inside the body.
Drugs treat sick people.
Remdesivir incorporates into the viral
RNA and prevents viral replication.
Immunomodulator drugs can be used to fight the later stages of infection.
Now what about antibodies?
How do antibodies relate to a vaccine or antibody therapy?
How long do antibodies stay in the body?
Antibodies are part of the body's defense system and target many parts of the virus.
The antibodies identified so far that neutralize the virus
are targeted to the spike protein.
Antibodies are released from the blood's
B cells (part of the white blood cells)
where a component of the immune memory is formed.
Shortly after recovery from being sick,
a person might have a high number of antibodies still in their system.
But a while later the antibodies are not as present.
However, the body is still protected as the B cells retain a memory of the infection
and are more ready to fight a re-infection.
In antibody therapy, sick patients can be given a plasma treatment
that directly gives them the antibodies  from a person who recently recovered from the illness.
Vaccines help healthy people
training their body to fight a future infection.
Vaccines use fragments of the virus to train the B cells.
Now what about the air we breathe?
How does this really transmit the virus?
Every time we breathe we expel respiratory particles.
Active virus is exhaled in these droplets.
Some of these particles are larger and fall more quickly to the ground.
However, smaller respiratory particles
spread further, at least six feet away.
Worse these small particles can become airborne,
which is a big problem for indoor conditions where the air is trapped and recirculating.
Scientists are still investigating the extent of spread through these aerosol conditions.
The good news is that recent research identifies that face masks
significantly reduced the amount of  espiratory droplets in the air.
Therefore, wearing a face mask, even a cloth one,
will help reduce the spread of coronavirus in the air.
By understanding the structures that form the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus
Hopefully, the different ways of destroying the coronavirus are clearer.
Outside the body soaps and cleaners can be used to destroy coronavirus.
Inside the body drugs, antibody treatments and vaccines help fight the virus.
As this coronavirus is newly emerged,
scientists are discovering new  information and creating vaccines at an extremely rapid rate.
To dig deeper into the information presented in this video
please see the description below for links to the primary research articles.
If you like this video please share it so that everyone can be more informed about the coronavirus
and what we can do as a society to help prevent the spread.
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