Virus
A Look at the Deadly, Spiky Covid-19 Particle
The virus uses proteins on its surface to latch onto and infect human cells.
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This is the particle responsible for Covid-19, the pneumonia-causing disease spreading around the world. The virus is called SARS-CoV-2, short for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.
Like other coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 has viral spike proteins, called peplomers, on its surface that allow it to infect human cells.