(C) PLOS One This story was originally published by PLOS One and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . On the Third Anniversary of the Pandemic, My 100th COVID Article, With Links to All [1] [] Date: 2022-12-29 Three years ago, health officials in China announced the first cases of infection with a “novel coronavirus.” Dr. Zhang Jixian reported the first case on December 26, 2019 in a senior couple living in the residential community near her hospital in Wuhan. An expert in SARS, she recognized the triad of fever, cough, and an unusual pneumonia. The earliest events remain a bit murky. “On December 30th, China reported an outbreak of respiratory disease in Wuhan City, a major transportation hub about 700 miles south of Beijing with a population of more than 11 million people,” declared Nancy Messonnier, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, on January 17, 2020. But I heard about it on NPR shortly after New Years. My first COVID post was January 23: “I’m astonished at the speed with which geneticists and epidemiologists are zeroing in on the Wuhan coronavirus,” referring to the first viral genome sequence announced January 15. Sequencing viral genomes would evolve into a powerful tool of, well, viral evolution, with the US caught behind. It’s been a hellish roller coaster ride, with terrible tragedy juxtaposed against some of the most astonishingly brilliant science I’ve ever encountered. I switched from covering rare genetic disease to following the erupting pandemic, reporting news, interpreting technical reports, and delving into the history of epidemiology. I think about the origins often, comparing RNA sequences and trying to deduce how it happened. The new pathogen SARS-CoV-2, or a direct predecessor, came from nature. Likely mammals such as bats carried viruses out of caves to who-knows-where, perhaps eventually a wet market or two, maybe following a stint at the Wuhan Institute of Virology. There the critically located tweak to the viral genome happened, intentionally or not, more than a single RNA base change. But somewhere along the journey, genetic changes to the virus’s Achilles heel (the receptor binding domain of the spike protein) happened, easing entry into human cells. I covered it all, returning to the origin theme because it still intrigues me. Most of my posts ran here at DNA Science, several at Genetic Literacy Project, and a few at Medscape and MedPage Today. Early on, I sometimes had 2 COVID articles published on the same day; now it has trickled to one every few weeks. At first I interviewed clinicians and researchers, until everyone became too busy to talk. Then government agencies like FDA and CDC, major medical and science journals, and clinical centers began holding regular webinars for health care providers and journalists so we could keep up. Dr. Fauci was a regular on my favorite, which JAMA sponsored, often speaking off-the-cuff in those days before hatred was irrationally turned on perhaps the greatest physician-scientist of our time. Other early speakers to the media would emerge as lead communicators as the pandemic wore on. I remember Dr. Leana Wen talking to me for a long time before CNN signed her on. And several of the key people in vaccine development shared their thoughts. At the same time, availability of preprints on medRxiv.org and bioRxiv kept journalists up-to-the-minute on research, albeit not yet peer-reviewed. With so many people dying, there simply wasn’t time for the protocols of normal scientific and medical publishing. As viral genome sequences accrued and mRNA vaccines were taken off the shelf from SARS 1.0 circa 2004 and adapted to the new target, my background in genetics became ever more useful for explaining things: protective mutations; viral variants; natural selection in viral evolution; the choreography of the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection that could go into deadly overdrive; anatomy of the virus; and applying existing biotechnologies to develop diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments. My most important post was one of the first to describe the anatomy of the enemy: From February 20, 2020, COVID-19 Vaccine Will Close in on the-Spikes. The most personal was when a new friend died (Sandy from the Mountains Dies, Leaving a Message to the Unvaxxed), epitomizing how not understanding science and being vulnerable to those who think they do can be lethal. My family tried to save her. Along the way, I tuned out politicians’ absurd suggestions: inject bleach, take untested drugs, restrict flights into the US. I watched in horror as the anti-vaccine movement gained momentum, opening the door to not only SARS-CoV-2 but to other pathogens, such as the highly infectious virus that causes measles. Today’s ignorance and arrogance will surely reverberate for decades. I delved into past plagues and looked ahead to how SARS-CoV-2 would continue to evolve, including the viral point of view. I screamed at the TV as news reports continued to focus on antibodies, when T cells were clearly calling the shots. Explain the biology! I cringed at the misuse of classic terms from genetics – like wild type and gain-of-function – and their trumpeted new meanings tainted with the value judgment that is not part of science. Here are my 100 COVID posts, a chronology of a killer virus, from the beginning. January 23, 2020 The Wuhan Coronavirus Inspires a Look Back at the Discovery of Viruses February 11, 2020 Will scientists ever get ahead of fast-mutating deadly health viruses? Exploring the coronavirus and the genetics of other plagues February 20, 2020 COVID-19 Vaccine Will Close in on the-Spikes March 9, 2020 Risk Factors for Death From COVID-19 Identified in Wuhan Patients March 11, 2020 Early GI Symptoms in COVID-19 May Indicate Fecal Transmission March 13, 2020 So You Have a COVID-19 Patient; How Do You Treat Them? March 16, 2020 A Million COVID-19 Cases Already, Global Estimates Suggest March 17, 2020 How the “F” word-flu-led to confusion as the coronavirus pandemic unfolded March 17, 2020 Coronavirus Stays in Aerosols for Hours, on Surfaces for Days March 19, 2020 Can Existing Drugs Treat COVID-19? From Viagra to Thalidomide to Cough Syrup March 19, 2020 Digestive Symptoms Tied to Worse COVID-19 Outcomes March 24, 2020 Comparing the coronavirus pandemic to past pathogenic threats: HIV, anthrax and Ebola March 26, 2020 Drugs to Treat Novel Coronavirus Part 2: Rx for Restraints April 1, 2020 Sophie’s Choice’ in the time of coronavirus: Deciding who gets the ventilators April 8, 2020 ‘Designed to be slow’: Why these coronavirus vaccines in the pipeline won’t be ready this year April 9, 2020 A Brief History of Plagues and Pandemics: From the Black Death to COVID-19 April 14, 2020 Can genetics explain the degrees of misery inflicted by the coronavirus? April 18, 2020 Normal Chest X-ray Doesn’t Rule Out COVID-19 April 24, 2020 Large Study of COVID-19 NYC Hospital Cases Shows High Mortality April 27, 2020 ‘At home’ coronavirus test? How CRISPR could change the way we search for COVID-19 April 30, 2020 Rare Disease Families Cope with COVID May 5, 2020 Quest for coronavirus treatment inspires modern twist on antique technique using survivors’ plasma May 12, 2020 The tricky path for using stem cells to treat coronavirus-ravaged lungs May 14, 2020 Will the COVID-19 Pandemic End Like War of the Worlds or Logan’s Run? May 19, 2020 Coronavirus immunity passports could create a world of ‘us and them’. But here’s why they make sense May 28, 2020 The Fallacy of the “Make It So” Mentality to Rush a COVID-19 Vaccine June 2, 2020 ‘Humanized mice’: Chimeras fuel quest to treat chronic diseases, cancer and even COVID-19 June 4, 2020 Dr. Fauci Optimistic About COVID-19 Vaccine Progress June 11, 2020 Protests and the Pandemic: Will COVID-19 Resurge? June 18, 2020 How an Antibody Cocktail Against COVID-19 Channels the 3 Stooges – But is a Great Idea July 6, 2020 Stem Cell Strategies Get Compassionate Use in COVID-19 July 16, 2020 A Tale of Two Clinical Trials: Gene Therapy for a Rare Disease and a Vaccine for COVID-19 July 23, 2020 Can Past Coronavirus Infection Protect Against COVID-19? Hints from Smallpox Vaccine July 30, 2020 COVID Genomes Paint Portrait of an Evolving Pathogen August 3, 2020 Vaccine ‘durability’: COVID-19 immunizations coming soon but will they last? August 5, 2020 Sniffing Out Stem Cells Behind COVID-Skewed Olfaction August 6, 2020 She Had Her Own Mutation, Sequencing Led to a Treatment and Major Genetic Discovery – Then She Died of COVID August 13, 2020 How COVID-19 Arose and Amplified Along the Meat Supply Chain September 10, 2020 How the Various COVID Vaccines Work September 15, 2020 “Challenge studies”: Should we be testing COVID vaccines by intentionally infecting volunteers? September 24, 2020 5 COVID-19 Updates: Cats, Kids, Seniors, Blood, and an Old Vaccine October 14, 2020 Final weeks to approval: NIH’s Anthony Fauci and FDA’s Peter Marks on what’s ahead before we can expect a safe COVID vaccine October 22, 2020 Can Some Antibodies Worsen COVID-19? The Odd Situation of Enhancement October 26, 2020 Down Syndrome Tied to Tenfold Risk for Death From COVID-19 November 4, 2020 Waning COVID-19 Antibodies Expected, No Cause for Alarm November 12, 2020 Genetic Clues in the Goop of a COVID Swab November 18, 2020 T Cells May Tell Us More About COVID Immunity November 19, 2020 Thinking About Thanksgiving? A Reminder of What COVID-19 Can Do To A Human Body November 23, 2020 When it comes to COVID, nurture trumps nature – so far November 26, 2020 Worse Than COVID? The Tasmanian Devil’s Contagious Cancer December 3, 2020 Dr. Paul Offit Talks COVID Vaccines, With JAMA’S Howard Bauchner December 9, 2020 Why Do Males Fare Worse With COVID-19? A Clue From Calico Cats December 16, 2020 Are Old Vaccines Helpful Against COVID-19? December 17, 2020 The First COVID-19 Vaccines: What’s mRNA Got To Do With It? December 31, 2020 Ignoring Pandemic Warnings and Links to my 54 COVID Articles Ignoring Pandemic Warnings and Links to my 54 COVID Articles January 12, 2021 Marketers are beginning to use data mined from consumer DNA tests. Shoud we be worried? January 14, 2021 What Do Non-identical Identical Twins have to do with COVID-19? Mutation! January 21, 2021 Mutants Come to Saratoga: COVID New Variants Explained January 26, 2021 A Dangerous Stage in the Evolution of the Novel Coronavirus is Upon Us With the Discovery of Escape Mutations-Artificial Intelligence May be Our Best Response January 28, 2021 Are We Hurtling or Hurdlings Towards Herd Immunity for COVID-19? February 4, 2021 Getting a COVID Vaccine is More Transparent Than Eating a Hot Dog: Countering Vaccine Hesitancy February 11, 2021 How My “Fruit Fly Love Story” Presaged the Rise of COVID-19 Viral Variants March 4, 2021 Is COVID Optimism Finally Overtaking Pessimism? Harvard Experts Weigh In March 11, 2021 On the Anniversary of the Pandemic, Considering the Bioweapon Hypothesis March 18, 2021 Science Writing in the Age of COVID-19 April 15, 2021 3 Possible Origins of COVID: Lab Escapee, Evolution, or Mutator Genes April 20, 2021 Would You Agree to be Infected with COVID for Science? Intentional ‘challenge’ Studies Underway as Researchers Explore New Vaccines and Treatments April 22, 2021 Expand Rapid Testing to Help Counter COVID Variant Spread, Says Harvard Epidemiologist Michael Mina May 20, 2021 The H5N8 Bird Flu and Why We Should Pay Attention May 27, 2021 How Viral Variants Arise June 10, 2021 Revising a Human Genetics Textbook and Countering Vaccine Hesitancy July 1, 2021 A Virus Envisions a Post-pandemic US July 22, 2021 Looking into a COVID Lung Using Spatial Transcriptomics July 30, 2021 Vaccination Alone Won’t Counter Rise of Resistant Variants August 5, 2021 Scary Variants and Vaccine Hesitancy Set Up a Perfect Storm for the Virus August 17, 2021 How Snake Venom and a Smoking-cessation Drug Inspired a Nasal Spray that Blocks COVID August 19, 2021 Returning to Live Music and How a Tiny Mutation Sent Delta All Over the World September 9, 2021 The Tomorrow War on Amazon Prime Echoes COVID: Science from the Past Saves Humanity’s Future September 16, 2021 New COVID Vaccines and More: A Perusal of ClinicalTrials-gov September 21, 2021 Viewpoint: Does mounting evidence for vaccine durability suggest we delay boosters for all until we learn more? October 7, 2021 Antibody Cocktails Against Future COVID Variants Thanks to Global Consortium CoVIC November 9, 2021 A lucky segment of the population is genetically immune from the COVID virus. What can we learn from them? December 9, 2021 How Watson and Crick Predicted the Origin of Omicron and Laid the Groundwork for COVID-19 Vaccines December 16, 2021 Pandemic Too Fast to Follow as Three Waves of Infection Wash Over the US: Delta, Omicron, and Flu December 23, 2021 Sandy from the Mountains Dies, Leaving a Message to the Unvaxxed January 13, 2022 Pandemic Predictions Take a Turn Towards the Positive – Finally January 27, 2022 Omicron Evolves and the Covidization of Scientific Publishing February 10, 2022 COVID Complacency: Warnings from Invasion, Station Eleven, and a Research Report/ March 3, 2022 SARS-CoV-2 Pops Up Mutated Beyond the Respiratory Tract March 7, 2022 Pan-Coronavirus Vaccines May Be Key to Fighting Future Pandemics March 17, 2022 Lessons from Flu and HIV Inspire Universal Coronavirus Vaccine March 24, 2022 What Lies Ahead with COVID? We Simply Don’t Know April 28, 2022 The Utter Oddness of COVID Anosmia May 19, 2022 A New View of Flu Thanks to Preserved Lungs ina a German Museum June 2, 2022 Can Chewing Gum Protect Against COVID? July 21, 2022 From Doodle Dogs to COVID: On the Meaning of Wild Type August 18, 2022 Where Will the Next Pandemic Come From? Highlights from CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases November 17, 202 Ten Lessons from COVID: A Round-up of Experts December 1, 2022 On COVID Origin and Omicron Persistence: This Geneticist’s View [END] --- [1] Url: https://dnascience.plos.org/2022/12/29/on-the-third-anniversary-of-the-pandemic-my-100th-covid-article-with-links-to-all/ Published and (C) by PLOS One Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons - Attribution BY 4.0. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/plosone/