Thanks for that wade. That's a useful discussion on that particular topic. I thought it worth pointing out (clear from the first 15 minutes from the beginning of the video) that this bunch of scientists, though they claim to be apolitical, are clearly pro-Biden, mask fanatics.

That's the trouble with treating scientists as gods. Almost invariably they are people who know a lot about a very little. I suppose if you were to really try to be scientific about everything you believe you would just keep your mouth shut.

The science for wearing masks? Non-existent. (Let alone social distancing, lockdowns, and experimental injections.)

ragaman

I thought it worth pointing out (clear from the first 15 minutes from the beginning of the video) that this bunch of scientists, though they claim to be apolitical, are clearly pro-Biden, mask fanatics.

Yeah, I agree.

There are some gems of wisdom though buried down amongst the chatter.

My take away points from watching a lot of TWiV this year and Racaniello's Virology course can be summarised as:

The SARS-CoV-2 virus

1) is not alive

(until it is taken in by a cell when it could be argued that it is alive as its RNA is replicated and a new virus particle is created)

2) is stable outside of a host and unstable in a cell

(outside of a host, wrapped in mucus as a droplet it has stability but once taken in by a cell it comes apart to allow its RNA to be read)

3) only certain types of cells take in the virus particle

(Racaniello refers to these cells as 'susceptible' as they have receptors, and 'permissible' as they process the RNA)

4) can't get through skin as its cells aren't susceptible

(still wash your hands in case you have some virus particles on your fingers when you rub your eyes or pick up food or pick your nose)

5) can spill over from animals to humans and spill back

(coronaviruses have jumped from bats to people, people to mink, mink to people, bats to camels to people ... )

In general, the TWiV team agree that as human challenge trials are unethical, transmission in the air or via surfaces and the use of masks haven't been proven, but it's better to err on caution.

This Week in Virology website is https://www.microbe.tv/

Professor Vincent Racaniello's Virology 2000 lectures are on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGhmZX2NKiNldpyRUBBEzNoWL0Cso1jip

Decent primer on the subject.

1) is not alive

(until it is taken in by a cell when it could be argued that it is alive as its RNA is replicated and a new virus particle is created)

Really just semantics - we dont really have a rigid definition accepted for life.
If you think viruses blur that definition, wait until you consider Prions...
2) is stable outside of a host and unstable in a cell

(outside of a host, wrapped in mucus as a droplet it has stability but once taken in by a cell it comes apart to allow its RNA to be read)

They're blobs of weak genetic material wrapped in blobs of fat. Outside a body they're very very fragile. Anything from a surfactant to a little bit of UV will rapidly render them useless lumps of organic matter.

This one is a little unusual for an RNA virus in that it has very good error correcting mechanisms which is why its mutation rate is staggeringly low for a virus of this type.
Typically 1-2 per month seen so far until super-covid appeared with 17 or so!
3) only certain types of cells take in the virus particle

They're highly specific yes. In this case, ACE2 receptors. This is why a lot of flawed studies out earlier using kidney and other lineages came out with some implausible results.
All viruses have incredibly specific bindings to specific cell types.
5) can spill over from animals to humans and spill back

(coronaviruses have jumped from bats to people, people to mink, mink to people, bats to camels to people ... )

Main risk is bats, they tolerate huge viral loads and often harbour many different viruses.
If the same cell gets infected by 2 (or more) viruses they can swap pieces of genome around and create new mutants with potential new abilities (recombination..there are other mechanisms as well).

This new variant is speculated to be from an immunocompromised chronic patient who simply couldnt clear the infection so it persistent for weeks or months meaning mutations could build up AND a possibility for recombination is much higher.
We see this with other diseases (and did with SARs). Vaccine induced polio is another classic example.