What Coronavirus Actually Does to the Human Body

In a timely, if not slightly terrifying animated essay, Munich design house Kurzgesagt (previously) explains in colorful detail what happens to the human body once it has been infected with Coronavirus. They look at how infection occurs, what cells are involved in both enabling and killing off the virus and how the autonomic immune system can eventually flush it all out. They also talk about the lasting effects of the disease and its relation to influenza.

The majority of people infected by Corona will get through it with relatively mild symptoms. But many cases become severe or even critical. We don’t know the percentage because not all cases have been identified, but it’s safe to say that there is a lot more than with the flu. …Coronavirus is often compared to the flu, but actually, it’s much more dangerous. While the exact death rate is hard to pin down during an ongoing pandemic, we know for sure that it’s much more contagious and spreads faster than the flu.