The Science of Where We Are
I wanted to share the best resource I have found for understanding the intricacies of immunology, epidemiology, the statistics of mass testing, and a dozen other subjects about which I am not remotely competent.
This is Derek Lowe’s daily (or more frequent) blog postings on the Science Magazine site. Lowe describes his background and suitability as a popular explainer of our current pandemic this way:
I am not a physician, and I am not a clinician. I have spent my career in very early stage drug discovery, not at the bedside. Unfortunately, my lab skills are not well matched to the current epidemic — my own research has been more oncology-focused, and it’s way back in the pipeline. None of the last three companies I’ve worked for currently have any antiviral research. So as for my contribution to fighting the coronavirus, well, you’re looking a significant part of it right now. I can curate and annotate the news, add my own opinions after thirty years of drug discovery work and (I hope) make people smarter about what’s going on.
Here is Lowe’s post today on the situation with testing for the presence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in people who have recovered from COV-19.
I remember a long time ago, when I was a nurse at a little hospital named St. Mary’ s in Minneapolis. All of a sudden we had so many patients, mostly young men, who were dying of strange lung infections. We were so alarmed and upset. We bathed them and helped them brush their teeth. And watched them die. We went to their funerals, we visited in hospices, and held their hands. It was a terrible time. Not the same as this disease, but still bewildering. This one is very different because it strikes anyone, but the way it upends life as we know it is the same.