COVID-19 12 months Later: What Have We discovered

T’s been more than a year because the first case of COVID-19 changed into recognized in the usa.

And even as we’ve been busy washing our fingers, wearing masks, and from time to time scrambling to get rest room paper — understand that? — docs and scientists had been running to apprehend the virus that’s gotten us right here.

In the past yr, “we’ve made a extraordinary quantity of progress that’s each overwhelming and incremental,” said Paula Traktman, PhD, a virologist and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at medical college of South Carolina in Charleston.

“Overwhelming due to the fact who knew we’d be spending every waking hour considering this? And incremental due to the fact I don’t assume we’ve learned loopy new technology approximately the virus, however we’ve learned crazy new stuff approximately the pandemic,” she said.

Here are some of the most huge questions about COVID-19 that specialists had been capable of answer within the past yr — and some that continue to be a thriller.

It’s been greater than a year because the first case of COVID-19 changed into diagnosed within the u.S..

And even as we’ve been busy washing our fingers, wearing masks, and every so often scrambling to get toilet paper — keep in mind that? — docs and scientists had been working to recognize the virus that’s gotten us right here.

In the past yr, “we’ve made a amazing quantity of progress that’s both overwhelming and incremental,” said Paula Traktman, PhD, a virologist and professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at medical university of South Carolina in Charleston.

“Overwhelming due to the fact who knew we’d be spending every waking hour considering this? And incremental because I don’t assume we’ve found out loopy new technological know-how approximately the virus, however we’ve found out crazy new stuff about the pandemic,” she stated.

Here are some of the maximum substantial questions about COVID-19 that specialists had been able to solution in the past 12 months — and a few that remain a mystery.

What have we learned approximately where this coronavirus got here from?
A yr ago, scientists theorized that this new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, probable originated in bats, then any other animal passed it directly to people.

That also appears to be the maximum doable principle, in line with a monthlong international fitness agency (WHO) investigative document in China.

For the general public, this might sound like the plot of a sci-fi thriller, however virologists aren’t amazed.

SARS-CoV-2 is truly “a brand new taste of a acquainted virus,” Traktman stated. “whilst you examine [it], it tells a acquainted tale.”

There are truly seven distinct human coronaviruses. The four milder traces have been circulating in human beings for years and are believed to be liable for up to 30 percentage of not unusual colds.

However SARS-CoV-2 extra carefully resembles the alternative probably lethal traces: SARS (excessive acute respiration syndrome) and MERS (center East respiration syndrome).

“What’s been unusual is that SARS-CoV-2 has been lots much less deadly than SARS and MERS but lots more worldwide. It’s gone on for what looks like forever, and it’s had a absolutely vast and durable impact. That’s the information,” Traktman stated.

What have we learned approximately COVID-19 ‘lengthy haulers’?
Generally, mild cases of COVID-19 remaining about 2 weeksTrusted source, while humans with intense cases may also take up to 6 weeks to get better.

However, about 10 percent of folks that expand COVID-19 have symptoms that linger for months.

There’s lots about those “lengthy haulers” that also mystifies medical doctors. They’re humans of every age, for starters. Some have no underlying fitness situations, and some were handiest mildly unwell with COVID-19.

Put up-COVID-19 syndrome also can span a huge variety of symptoms, from excessive fatigue and brain fog to nausea, complications, and loss of flavor and scent.

“It’s almost as if their immune machine remains seeking to fight something that isn’t there,” said Dr. Bradley Sanville, a pulmonary and vital care physician at the UC Davis medical middle publish-COVID-19 sanatorium in Sacramento, California.

A few long haulers have one lingering symptom, at the same time as others have 15.

“That makes it tough to parse out what’s taking place and whether or not or now not there’s one unifying hassle… We don’t recognize if human beings will just get higher with time and, in that case, we don’t recognise what the time frame is. It’s difficult,” Sanville stated.

Over the past yr, medical experts had been on the whole targeted on fighting the virus, however “with a bit of luck sufficient human beings get vaccinated and the spread of COVID slows enough in order that we are able to take a higher observe this group of human beings,” Sanville said.