Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that can make you sick. They’re named after their “spiky” appearance under a microscope, which scientists thought looked like a crown ¹. 

Coronaviruses can cause illnesses such as the common cold, to more harmful diseases. Two harmful diseases include MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome). MERS is caused by the coronavirus MERS-CoV, while SARS is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV ².

The Virus is SARS-CoV 2, and it causes the disease COVID-19.

The coronavirus the world knows today is called SARS-CoV 2, because it is a cousin of the SARS coronavirus mentioned above ¹. SARS-CoV 2 causes a disease that is spreading all around the world right now, and chances are your country is doing what it can to prevent its spread. It is called Coronavirus disease 2019 or COVID-19 ^{3, 4}.

How does it infect people?

SARS-CoV 2 spreads when infected people sneeze, cough, or touch things that other people touch. We use our hands for everything! Because of this, you can bring the virus to your face by rubbing your eyes, or touching your nose and mouth. It is very hard not to touch your face! Once the virus gets into the nose, eyes, or mouth of a healthy person it can infect them ⁷. 

This is why washing your hands with soap and water are important!

What happens when someone is infected?

SARS-CoV 2 is a “respiratory virus”, or a virus that infects cells in your body that have something to do with breathing. This includes your mouth, nose, throat and lungs. It can take from 5 to 14 days for signs of the disease, or symptoms, to happen. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain and tiredness ⁸.

Most people usually experience the fever and cough and then soon recover without having to visit the hospital ⁸. But older people and people with other medical conditions (like asthma, diabetes, heart disease) have higher chances of being really ill or dying ⁹.

Things become difficult when the virus moves down to the lungs. This is when complications can arise. When this happens, pneumonia develops when cells in your lungs are damaged and the immune system reacts against the virus there ⁸.

As of March 1, 2020, the adjusted death rate of COVID-19 in the entire world was 5.7%, which meant that 94.3% of people who got the virus recover and survive ¹⁰. Many estimates online will give a 3.4% death rate, but this is for all-time numbers ¹¹.

The death rate is higher among older people and people with other medical conditions. So we have to make sure that they are not infected! If your lolo, lola, or other older friends and family show symptoms, call your local hospital or clinic immediately. 

We also have to make sure younger people do not infect them. Just because younger people are healthy, doesn’t mean they cannot bring the virus to older people.

How does the virus work inside our bodies?

Like all other viruses, SARS-CoV 2 needs cells to invade and create “copies” of itself so it can spread ¹². It is much smaller than the cells in our bodies. Each virus particle, or virion, measures about 90 nanometers. Or 1-billionth of a meter ¹³. 

Like other viruses, it is made of three key building blocks: RNA, proteins, and a fatty layer or membrane ¹⁴.

• RNA
  RNA is like DNA. They are used as instructions for cells to do or make certain things. These instructions are encoded in letters, or nucleotides. To compare, our human DNA has over 3 billion “letters” that hold the blueprint to our cells and bodies. SARS-CoV 2 RNA has about 30,000 nucleotides ¹⁵. (Check out this visualization of the SARS-COV 2 RNA!)
• Proteins
  The “spikes” that make up the virus’ “crown” are proteins. Proteins in the virus also hold its’ RNA, and lie along its fatty membrane ¹³.
• Fatty membrane
  The fatty membrane is an oily bubble that surrounds the virus particle, or virion. And it is this very oily bubble that hates soap! ¹⁵ More on this later.

Once the virus enters a person, it attaches itself to cells. It uses its “spike” proteins to attach to them ¹³.

Once attached, it goes inside the cell and releases its RNA. This 30,000 “letter” code is used inside the cell to make more of the same proteins that make up the virus. All of this will be used to make new “copies” of them, which could number up from 100 to 1,000 virions per invaded cell! ¹³ The cell then breaks down and dies, and the new virions spread out to infect more cells, or are sneezed or coughed away to infect more people ¹⁵.

How did this virus start?

As you may guess by the name of the disease, COVID-19 started in 2019 ¹⁶. In December of 2019, a group of patients who either worked or visited a seafood market in Wuhan, China went to the hospital. It was there that doctors discovered the new coronavirus, now called SARS-CoV 2 ⁶.

So why did SARS-CoV 2 start in Wuhan? Where did it come from? 

Scientists don’t exactly know yet, but they think it came from an animal sold in the Wuhan market. When different animals are crowded together and stressed, it makes them weaker and more sick, giving the virus a chance to spread more ¹⁷. Scientists believe that SARS-CoV 2 virus ultimately came from bats ¹⁸. 

From bats? How do we know this?

Many coronaviruses are zoonotic, meaning they are transmitted between animals and people ⁴⁴. This is likely how the virus started: from animals.

Let’s take a look at a cousin of SARS-CoV 2 virus, the SARS-CoV (without a number).

When the SARS-CoV virus was discovered in 2002 and 2003, scientists found the same SARS viruses in masked civet cats (Paguma larvata) which were used for their fur or as food in markets in Guangdong, China ¹⁹. 

But they noticed that civet cats in farms surrounding the markets did not have the virus. This led the scientists to believe that the civets only got the virus at the markets. Markets where they were exposed to other civets and other animals ¹⁹. So how did the civets get the SARS virus? 

For this information, scientists looked at other diseases that came from animals.

A history of zoonotic diseases

In 1994, the suburb of Hendra in Brisbane, Australia was hit by a fatal disease. The virus that caused the disease was later called the Hendra virus, and scientists found that it came from local horses ²⁰. 

In 1998, Malaysia would be hit by a different disease caused by the Nipah virus. Scientists found that it came from pigs in tightly-packed pig farms in Malaysia ²¹.

Scientists in both countries then studied animals and wildlife in the surrounding areas of these outbreaks ^{22, 20}. Eventually the sources were finally found: bats. Bat urine and/or droppings somehow infected both the horses in Australia, and the pigs in Malaysia!

The Batwoman

For more information, let’s now meet The Batwoman: Shi Zhengli! A Chinese virologist who has studied the sources of coronaviruses like SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV 2 for 16 years!

Knowing that bats were the sources of viruses that hit Australia and Malaysia, she and her team went deep into the forests and caves of southern China to see if SARS viruses could be found in bats there.

In 2004, Shi would search the forests for caves and install nets. At night, the bats would leave the caves to feed. When the bats were trapped in the nets, Shi and her team would take blood and saliva samples, as well as samples of their poop. They would do this all night after finding a cave. The next morning they would return to the cave and collect more pee and poo samples to ensure they had enough to find something ¹.

They did this for eight months, and what happened? Nothing. They could not find SARS viruses in the bats ¹.

When it seemed hope was lost, they came upon tools or kits used to test humans for SARS antibodies. Antibodies are made by your immune system when harmful viruses or bacteria enter your body. Viruses that are successfully destroyed by your antibodies go away, but the antibodies themselves can stay a bit longer in your body ²³.

Unsure if the kits could be used in bats, Shi tried it anyway. The result: the bats had SARS antibodies!

This meant that the bats did have the SARS virus, but the virus would appear once and a while, or until the SARS antibodies in the bats destroyed them. Once destroyed, the antibodies would stay longer to ensure immunity, or defense against a returning virus. The RNA of the SARS virus is 79% identical to the SARS-CoV 2 virus spreading around the world today, and it is 96% identical to the RNA found in the bats studied by Shi ^{45, 46}.

Though it is not yet known how SARS-CoV 2 infected people in Wuhan, all this previous information points toward bats as the possible source. They also believe a different animal in the market somehow got the virus from the bats and infected people ⁵. Scientists are still working today to find more answers.

Is there a cure? 

Since the virus and disease were discovered late in 2019, scientists are still working hard to find a cure.

But scientists are already working on ways to fight the virus. One way involves antibodies that humans make when they have COVID-19. Similar to how bats made antibodies too, as mentioned above.

Antibodies are already being used in Shanghai, China with positive results. A university in Baltimore might have a set-up for this treatment soon, while the largest drugmaker in Japan is already testing therapy ²⁴. Unfortunately this requires blood donations by COVID-19 survivors, and certain standards must be reached before this treatment is applied ²⁵. Getting these requirements done will take time before this kind of treatment reaches more and more people.

What are other ways to fight the virus?

The next best option is a vaccine. A vaccine is a treatment that involves giving a person a weaker version of a virus or bacteria to allow the person’s immune system to make antibodies ²⁶. Usually the process to create and approve a vaccine takes years, but scientists all over the world are trying to speed up the process. Unfortunately by rushing a vaccine, some scientists risk cutting corners and creating a vaccine that might not be as effective ²⁷.

Are bats the real problem? Or something else?

Remember that SARS-CoV 2 is zoonotic, meaning that it is transmitted between animals and people ². Of all documented infectious diseases that we discovered between 1940 and 2004, more than half were zoonotic! Of these, 71% were from wildlife ²⁸.

As mentioned earlier, bats are the likely source for the SARS-CoV 2 virus. Bats also infected horses and humans with the Hendra virus in Australia ²⁰. In Malaysia, bats infected local pigs and humans with the Nipah virus ²¹.

In all 3 situations, humans and their relationship with wildlife directly or indirectly contributed to infections and death. Today, the world has panicked as stocks dropped and supplies are taken off store shelves due to COVID-19. It is the third documented jump of an animal coronavirus to humans in only two decades that has resulted in sick and dying people! ²⁹. 

Many animal viruses and bacteria infect humans, but only few can be spread so far and wide. Unfortunately modern times have made it easy for diseases to spread ³⁰. 

Today, new disease outbreaks are certain, especially because of the following things ¹:

• More people moving into wildlife habitats.
• Increased changes in how we use land.
• Increased wildlife and livestock transportation and production across the world.
• Increase in domestic and international travel.
• International trade.
• Agricultural growth ³¹.
• Breakdown of public health policies ³¹.

The more we, or our domesticated animals, are exposed to forest habitats of bats & other species, the more of these viruses will come.

Understanding bats & bat habitats = long term cure

In the science world, bats are probably the most well-known sources of diseases that infect domestic animals and humans ³². The coronaviruses they carry are found all over the world. This includes Germany, China, North and South America, and Africa. Two bat coronaviruses were also found in bats in the Philippines ³³.

Scientists have already proven that studying viruses from animals can reduce infection in the future. Surveys on viruses in the US, specifically hantavirus in certain animals, helped officials make recommendations and predictions of future outbreaks ¹⁷. It is best to study these species and their habitats before an outbreak happens again. Waiting for the next virus to occur is not effective ¹⁷, as we are now seeing today.

Should we kill or destroy all the bats?

Any calls to destroy or minimize their populations will not help. In Brazil, officials started exterminating bats to try to stop the spread of rabies through bat bites. Unfortunately these methods also poisoned other bat species which endangered all bat species in the areas that actually help people ⁴².

Bats are important to us. They serve as pollinators, seed dispersers, pest controllers, tourist attractions, and sources of virus study. Scientists call these “services,” specifically “ecological services”. And these services are given for free.

Here are some of these ecological services that bats provide:

• Pollinators
  Some bats feed on nectar found on flowers. Like bees and birds, they serve as key pollinators. They are also important pollinators for mangrove species all over Southeast Asia ³⁴. Compared to birds and insects, they carry more pollen and carry the pollen farther distances regularly, some of them bringing pollen as far as 25 kilometers (15 miles) ³⁴. This can help plants that are threatened by habitat loss in certain areas ³⁴. Did you know they’re important pollinators for durian ³⁵, tequila, and wild bananas ³⁴? All of this also makes bat pollination important for food security ³⁶.
• Seed dispersers
  Fruit bats or flying foxes feed from different fruit trees, spreading fruit seeds as they eat or poop throughout the forest. They spread seeds of trees like balete and help forests regenerate naturally ³⁶. One species only found in the Philippines, the musky fruit bat (Ptenochirus jagori), eats fruit and nectar from at least 45 different species! ³⁷. In general bats ingest and disperse hundreds to thousands of seeds each night ³⁸.
• Insect pest controllers
  Bats that eat insects can eat as much as half of their body weight in one night! This includes pests that cause damage to crops, and even mosquitoes that can transmit diseases ³⁶ like dengue.
• Tourism
  Bats hanging in caves or roost trees, or the exit of millions of them at dusk fascinates and attracts tourists ³⁶. The largest colony of a certain species of bat in the world can be found on Samal island in Davao. In just the first 100 meters of the cave, scientists estimated over 800,000 bats by just using cameras! ³⁹ The full population of the cave is estimated at under 2 million bats, which gave it a Guinness World Record in 2010 ⁴⁰. With proper local planning, bats and their habitats can be protected while sustaining bat tourism.
• Sources of virus study
  Surveys and studies of bats and other virus-carrying animals keep public health officials informed, making it easier to predict where and when future outbreaks might occur ¹⁷.
• Ecological services that save money
  Imagine if the burden to provide pest control worldwide was shouldered by humans. Pest control is expensive especially for poorer farmers. The burden to plant more trees to strengthen forest watersheds, or to make more durian and tequila, would all fall on people. The financial value of services provided by bats represents savings in the millions of pesos. Bats provide these services free of charge! ³⁶

The best solution is to keep bats in the wild and to protect their habitats. This way we lower our exposure and impact to bats and bat habitats. This can only be done through proper natural resource management by all governments.

In doing so, we must also increase our study of bats, other species or “biodiversity”, and the habitats we share with them.

Scientists in one study wrote, “The understanding of Philippine bats in terms of its provision of different ecosystem services provisions and the impacts of a wide range of threats remains unknown. Essentially, it is a call to intensify diverse inclusive research through capacity building of geographically lacking regions, support next generations of scientists in the Philippines, promote equitable collaboration and partnerships, transparency, and open-data sharing and accessibility.” ⁴¹

The Philippines has 79 different kinds of bats ^{41, 36}, and over 30% of them can only be found in the Philippines. The top three threats to them are deforestation, agriculture, and logging ⁴¹.

Understanding bats provides Filipinos an opportunity to expand everyone’s knowledge about them. Our misunderstandings of bats are possibly due to our negative perceptions of them. We associate them with vampires, fears of the dark, and dark caves or the “underworld”. Outbreaks of disease in the news also do not help.

But like most things we fear, the only solution is knowledge.

The greatest harm to bats is not knowing anything about them. It creates fears, dislikes, destruction and extinction of bats.

Biodiversity Management Bureau – Department of Environment & Natural Resources (DENR), Philippines

We are increasing our understanding of new diseases similar to COVID-19, and it is possible for us to prevent more of them. Through proper monitoring, research, and most of all, political will, this can be done ³⁰.

Another way to fight the virus: SOAP!

You have already been told to wash your hands with soap so many times! There is a reason! Each soap molecule is made up of two different ends. One end is attracted to water, and the other end is not.

Earlier it was mentioned that a fatty layer forms the membrane of the SARS-CoV 2 virion (and other viruses). When you add soapy water to hands or a surface infested with SARS-CoV 2, the soap molecules break up the fatty membranes! ¹⁴ 

This is because the end of the soap molecules that are not attracted to water stick themselves into the fatty membranes of the virions and break-up or dissolve them. The water then washes them away ⁴³. 

Have you washed oily dishes and pans? When you wash an oily pan with only water, it can be difficult to remove the oil from the pan. When you add soap, it becomes easier. 

Who knew that a drop of soapy water was enough to rupture the membranes of many types of viruses, including SARS-CoV 2!

What else can I do?

As you have probably already seen in the news and on social media, there are a few things you can easily do in your own home. Especially if your school, work, city, or town has required people to stay at home.

• Wash your hands with soap!
• Stay at home and follow recommendations from local officials and medical professionals. Help “flatten the curve!”
• Take care of elderly and people with existing complications in your home (like diabetes, high blood pressure, etc…).
• Be prepared and plan accordingly while everyone is still healthy. Take note of local phone numbers and hotlines in case you or someone in your home feels sick.

Support local efforts to sustain natural resources by donating online, or offering your skills as a volunteer:

• Support your local government environmental office.
• Support your local environmental NGO or non-profit.

In the Philippines there are a number of ways you can help fight the virus from your home.

• Contribute to this dropdown list of local hotlines, and map of hospitals here (made by volunteers in Metro Manila).
• Donate to a growing number of efforts here, posted by Flipscience.com.

Ultimately, political will has a large part in understanding and preventing such viruses and diseases. Engage your local government officials and demand the proper and immediate courses of action to ensure people are healthy and safe.

*Though most information on this webpage is cited from scientific studies, please note that much of this information has yet to undergo proper peer review. Due to the fast-changing nature of information regarding this event, some information might be unreliable or become dated. This webpage will be updated when possible. Updated information, errors, and other insights are welcome. Please email philippinewildifeart@gmail.com.

• Posted March 26, 2020
• Last update: April 10, 2020

Free coloring sheets: “What is the Coronavirus?”

This is a free, downloadable, PDF file that you can print and color while learning about coronaviruses, how they work, and their possible sources in simpler terms. All the trivia in the sheets have been sourced from the references below under “sources.”

I hope this gives people an even better understanding of what coronaviruses are, and what scientists are saying should be done to prevent or predict them in the future.

You can download it free here: bit.ly/coronacolor

Sources

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2. World Health Organization. Coronavirus. Last updated March 14, 2020. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus
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4. World Health Organization. Naming the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the virus that causes it. Last accessed March 22, 2020. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/technical-guidance/naming-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-2019)-and-the-virus-that-causes-it
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Uploaded: March 25, 2020