Why is coronavirus so frighteningly successful? | Zania Stamataki

A host of factors determines whether a virus survives and thrives in humans. Sars-Cov-2 struck it lucky

• Dr Zania Stamataki is a senior lecturer in viral immunology
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Ed Newman walked to the podium with the calm confidence of a soldier and welcomed us with humility. His audience was 20 virology researchers preparing to lead groups in universities around the UK in 2016.

Newman, then a Porton Down-based virologist for Public Health England, had seen more action than all of us combined. He shared photos of his travels in African villages ravaged by some of the most dangerous viruses that face humanity. Pop-up labs set up in tents, with "clean" areas on one side for DNA sequencing equipment to confirm virus infection, and patient areas to the other side, hosting beds with seriously ill people. Fascinating, how a tiny piece of genetic information wrapped in a protein coat can cause such devastation.