virion part 2
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Wuhan

A new enemy has emerged! The coronavirus family is again unleashing terror upon humanity

But this time, we are much better prepared than we were a century ago. February 3, 2020. The new virus is 96 percent genetically similar to its coronavirus’ cousin found in bats. February 19, 2020. We needed a new name for it.
February 20, 2020 The new virus is clearly different from the ones responsible for SARS and MERS. This new coronavirus is the seventh of its kind to infect humans.
March 6, 2020. We finally got a name for it: SARS-Cov-2. March 17, 2020. The virus lasts longer on stainless steel and plastic surfaces than it does on cardboard. … And, no, it did not escape from a lab.

We now also have a broader access to knowledge.

It used to be like this Scientific journal. Not so fast, dear readers. Pay first!
Just imagine Harvard needed to pony up some 2.8 million quid annually to get access to these journals.
Now, we have the handy pre-prints, enabling research papers to be accessed prior to publication.
Indonesia has its own pre-print repository, RINarxiv.

As of early June, 2020, there have been 17.000 publications about the SARS-Cov-2. Meanwhile, bioRxiv has around 4.000 publications in its pre-print repository.

That many, are they all scientifically sound? In bioRxiv, there was a publication claiming similarities between SARS-Cov-2 and the HIV. It was retracted!
Even those published in journals may not necessarily be accurate. On June 4, The Lancet withdrew a publication on chloroquine due to data issues.

This advancement needs to be celebrated and anticipated. When science done faster, we need to be more critical than ever.

This is one of many research that needs to be criticized.

We found a perfect cocktail for COVID-19, consists of 5 drugs. It's still in preclinical phase. No research publication. You should not consider it as conclusive. Prof Dr. Mohammad Nasih Chancelor of Airlangga University
We also see diversity in science. It brings more debate, of course
Wear your face mask! Tell that to those showing symptoms, not me! Face mask does not work!

Following further studies, it was discovered that face masks could reduce the risk of transmission by 85 percent.

This advancement needs to be celebrated and anticipated. When science done faster, we need to be more critical than ever.
If all of us were wearing N95, there won’t be enough left for health workers.
Meanwhile, in Indonesia It’s okay to wear cloth face masks. They still can reduce your risk of infection by 60 percent. Achmad Yurianto, Indonesia’s Spokesperson for Covid-19.
In the United States My hospital in Boston adopts an approach similar to that in Asia. We all use N95 face masks. They may be sterilized and re-used to address supply concerns. Atul Gawande
Despite ongoing debates, science manages to show progress. There are currently 135 vaccine candidates. Some 42.000 genome sequences of SARS-Cov-2 have been collected from all around the world.
Indonesia contributed seven genome sequences through the Eijkman Institution, and another six from Airlangga University’s Institute of Tropical Diseases (ITD).

But, there are always those who dismiss science…

Image of Trump and Terawan
You may be one of them.

To be continued…

Production Team
Producer
Yunanto Wiji Utomo
Story and Script
Shierine Wangsa Wibawa
Yunanto Wiji Utomo
Storyboard
Georgious Jovinto
Design and Illustration
Anggara Kusumaatmaja
Andika Bayu
Developer
Bayu Adi Prakoso
Copy Editor
Erwin Hutapea
Translator
Oik Yusuf

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