PANDEMIC

 This won't get you a degree in cellular micro-biology but you'll think you should.  If you've been reading my series on the current pandemic, you're ready for this. We'll use something larger than the actual so that you can more easily visualize it.  It's about beach balls and sand.

Take a look at the back of you left hand.  Now rub your right index finger over it.  Smooth, isn't it.  Those are skin cells.  Think of a million beach balls all connected together at the side.  Those are skin cells.  They've got junk inside the beach balls but we won't worry about that yet.  These beach balls are the ones with a nozzle you blow into to inflate them.  There is a plastic plug attached to the nozzle that you have to push into the nozzle to keep what you have put in from coming out.  The nozzle is located on the underside of the skin.  Okay, you're dismayed?  Stick with me.  You'll see how this all fits together in a minute.  

Now, imagine you have a single grain of sand on the back of your left hand.  Okay, blow on it.  It flew away, maybe never to be found again.  Good riddance!  That was a virus.  In our case, a corona virus. It needs living cells in order to do anything.  It couldn't get into the skin cells.  It couldn't find a way in.

So now imagine that you're into a mild sand storm.  Grains of sand (virus) are flying everywhere and getting on everything.  Now let's say one or ten or more flew into your nose as you were breathing in.  The inside of your nose and sinus cavities is somewhat like the skin on your hand but different.  It feels the sand and what does it do?  It makes you sneeze.  Out come some or all of the grains of sand.  Then, you blow your nose and maybe more come out.  Those left behind can't get into those cells and have a chance of falling into your throat.  

I know, you had your mouth open and more sand went in there.  Yuck!  It may have made you cough a little in an attempt to get them out.  Once in your throat, the sand can either travel to your stomach or your lungs.  If you're lucky, you've taken a drink of water or ate something and the sand went down the esophagus into your stomach.  Your stomach is full of bile and other digestive juices.  That stuff will make grains of sand disintegrate.  They are gone.   

If you didn't spit them out of your mouth or wash them down your throat, they could fly into your trachea (wind pipe) and get whisked toward your lungs when you breathe in.   Your lungs won't like them at all and will start you dry coughing in an effort to expel the sand.  

The cells inside your lungs are special.  They have the purpose of exchanging carbon dioxide in your bloodstream for oxygen every time you breathe.  The nozzle on those beach balls is exposed to the air.  The nozzle here is called an ACE2 receptor.  Oh no!  The grains of sand have a chance to fall onto those cells and those exposed nozzles.  If, during all this breathing in and out, even one finds its way into a cell through that nozzle, Katie bar the door.  Once in, they become active and the first thing they do is duplicate themselves tens or hundreds of times.  

Grains of sand all over the place!  This is serious.   This ups your chances of sand accidentally finding it's way into other lung cells.  Then, in response, your cells start producing a mucous which further clogs your lungs. Sand and mucous makes pneumonia.  Now, blood vessels running through those lung cells get clogged too.  Clogged blood vessels means clots in your lungs.  A very bad thing.

If you're not sick yet, think of this.  You remember the plastic plug you had to shove in the beach ball nozzle so the air wouldn't come back out?  Well, those things don't work so well when they are used too many times.  Children have very good plugs while old people have worn plugs.  Worn plugs won't stop the sand from getting into the lung cells as well as newer ones.  Tada!  Seniors are much more at risk.

This is about the whole story.  I hope it gives you a better understanding of what goes on with this corona virus and the resulting COVID 19 affliction.  If I lost you, let me know.  Surely, I can do a better job of confusing you.

Another thing; did you notice how you can have the virus in your nose and or mouth and not be sick?  These cause false positive tests. That virus could latch onto some other cells before it gets into the lungs but there's not really much chance of that.  Keep your lungs healthy - stay active and make them work.  It's good for you.

🙏🙏🙏