HOW COVID-19 ATTACKS (SHORT AND EASY)

Here is a short explanation of how COVID-19 damages our systems, causing pneumonia in our lungs but also other dangerous disorders in distant organs.

IN THE LUNGS

1. COVID-19 spreads through the air. When we talk, sneeze, cough or even breath some droplets come out of our mouth and travel up to 1.5 – 2 meters. They are called Flügge drops. If that person is infected, the drops contain the virus.
2. The coronavirus can then spread to people inside that radius (approx. 2 meters). And it will enter the organism through the upper respiratory tract: mouth, nose, throat. That’s why the COVID-19 test uses material from the nose and mouth, because it’s the first place where the virus stays. Then it will travel to the lower respiratory tract: the lungs. Here it causes the greatest damage in the form of bilateral severe pneumonia. The virus attaches to the lung cells through an enzyme called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE 2).

OTHER ORGANS

1. Then the virus enters the blood. From there, it can travel anywhere in the body, as all the organs get blood. It can enter the Central Nervous System (CNS), which explains why it can cause anosmia (impossibility to smell).
2. It can also travel to the digestive system: stomach, bowel, rectum… That’s because there are glands with ACE 2 on them. And that’s why the COVID-19 can also present as stomachache, diarrhea…
3. Along the way, throughout the vascular system (arteries and veins) it can cause thrombosis (blood clots). Typically in the legs veins, which then can travel to the lungs. That is called pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). If the patient suffered from pneumonia and gets pulmonary thromboembolism, his pulmonary function will be greatly impaired.
4. Finally, it can damage the heart’s muscle (myocardial damage) and the kidneys, causing renal failure.

As you can see, COVID-19 can damage many of our organs. That explains why it it has killed so many people, especially those who had preexisting disorders or advanced age.