As COVID-19 is proving to the world, tiny viruses are powerful biological agents, capable of rapidly effecting massive damage and fatality. And yet, they’re so simple: a virus is merely comprised of pieces of genetic material—either RNA or DNA—wrapped in a protein envelope, which is known as a “capsid.” Yet this tiny organism carries with it a mortality rate (death rate) or about 10% for people over 70 years of age and 22% for those over 80.
Read MoreA new coronavirus virus, likely first transmitted to people from animals at a market in the Chinese city of Wuhan, is making international headlines as public health detectives work to uncover what it is, how it’s transmitted, and how deadly the virus actually is. I thought I would address these and other questions about this outbreak.
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