Briefing | Anatomy of a killer

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 and the drugs that might lessen its power

Modest improvements in treatment could make a big difference

THE INTERCONNECTEDNESS of the modern world has been a boon for SARS-CoV-2. Without planes, trains and automobiles the virus would never have got this far, this fast. Just a few months ago it took its first steps into a human host somewhere in or around Wuhan, in the Chinese province of Hubei. As of this week it had caused over 120,000 diagnosed cases of covid-19, from Tromsø to Buenos Aires, Alberta to Auckland, with most infections continuing to go undiagnosed (see article).

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Anatomy of a killer”

The politics of pandemics

From the March 14th 2020 edition

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