The novel coronavirus is transmitted through the air and replicates in the respiratory system and in blood.
The novel coronavirus that began in Wuhan, China, has been labeled a Public Health Emergency by the U.S. government. As confirmed cases of the coronavirus now known as COVID-19 continue to increase in this country and around the world, and additional information unfolds, two renowned microbiologists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Peter Palese, PhD, and Adolfo García-Sastre, PhD, recently provided insights into the disease. Dr. Palese is the Horace W. Goldsmith Professor and Chair of the Department of Microbiology, and Professor of Medicine (Infectious Diseases); and Dr. García-Sastre is the Irene and Dr. Arthur M. Fishberg Professor of Medicine (Microbiology, and Infectious Diseases), and Director of the Global Health and Emerging Pathogens Institute.
What is COVID-19?
Dr. Palese: It belongs to a group of viruses known as coronaviruses, to which the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus and MERS virus (Middle East respiratory syndrome) belong. It is transmitted through the air and replicates in the respiratory system and in blood.
Dr. García-Sastre: The COVID-19 and the SARS-CoV are closely related and they originated from bats. In the case of the COVID-19, we are not yet sure of its precise origin—whether the virus went directly from bats to humans or whether it went from bats to a host animal and then to humans, which is what happened with SARS. But we believe it originated from bats.
How did this novel coronavirus start?
Dr. Palese: Samples of the virus were found in a large fish market in Wuhan where other live animals are kept in cages and sold as food.
Dr. García-Sastre: People went to the market to buy food and were exposed to the virus, which infects through the respiratory tract. Like the flu, it is spread by aerosols.
What are the most important factors to consider as the disease unfolds?
Dr. Palese: The reproduction number, or “R” number, appears to be around 2.5. That means every person who is infected will pass the disease on to 2.5 other people. The influenza virus is a little lower. Measles has a much higher R number of about 18. These are averages. But we have to be vigilant. There are reports that the disease can be transmitted for about 24 hours before symptoms develop. If that is confirmed, it would make it more difficult to contain. The disease caused by the novel coronavirus is accompanied by flu-like symptoms, including very high fever. Fatalities stem from pneumonia and comorbidities, such as old age, asthma, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Dr. García-Sastre: Don’t panic. The virus does not seem to be associated with very high mortality. It is progressing more quickly than the SARs virus did, but it also appears to be less deadly. The rate of transmission appears to be similar to that of the seasonal flu. That is an estimate because we don’t know for sure whether all of the people who have the disease have been diagnosed. Some may have very mild cases. Another consideration is at what moment does an infected person begin to transmit the virus? With flu, people can transmit the disease before there are symptoms. With SARS, most transmissions happen after there are symptoms.
Are vaccines available?
Dr. Palese: Our government is rapidly developing vaccines and they are in the pipeline, but nothing has been approved as of today.
Dr. García-Sastre: Vaccines may be first available only on an experimental basis.