To infect a person and cause disease, viruses need to get inside individual human cells and reproduce. After a virus particle (called a virion) overcomes the cell’s defenses and enters the cell’s control center, it hijacks cellular machinery to churn out copies of itself. The copied virions burst out and invade other cells, spreading the infection. The new coronavirus that’s causing the global pandemic, called SARS-CoV-2 (the bristly-looking ball in the middle of the image), targets pneumocytes, the respiratory cells lining air sacs in the lungs. To gain entry, SARS-CoV-2 uses a molecular “key” called a spike glycoprotein (the triangle-shaped protrusions from the virion’s surface) to open a pathway into the pneumocyte’s interior. SARS-CoV-2’s spike proteins — its keys — fit a specific “lock” (technically known as a receptor, and in this case, the ACE2 receptor) on a pneumocyte cell’s surface. The ACE2 receptors are the small pink nubs just below the floating SARS-CoV-2 ball. When lock and key (spike protein and ACE2 receptor) connect, the virion gains entry and begins its destructive work. Scientists recently figured out the shape of SARS-CoV-2’s key and the ACE2 lock on respiratory cells’ surfaces. That knowledge could lead to treatments for infected patients, or a vaccine that would block infection.
Health

Lagos records 161 new COVID19 cases, nationwide 276

Posted on Author metro-admin2Comment(0) 751 Views

With 1120 new tests recorded nationwide, Lagos recorded 161 new COVID19 cases on Tuesday as 276 new cases were recorded across Nigeria.

Till date, 46,803 tests have been done nationwide, a fickle figure compared to government projection of 2 million tests by August.

With Lagos recording over 16,000 tests so far, it now has a total of 3,756 confirmed COVID19 cases, 3,051 of which are active with 47 deaths.

Nationwide, to date, 8344 cases have been confirmed, while 2385 cases have been discharged, with 249 deaths recorded in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory

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According to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday, 276 new cases were reported from 15 states – Lagos (161), Rivers (36), Edo (27), Kaduna (19), Nasarawa (10), Oyo (6), Kano (4), Delta (3), Ebonyi (3), Gombe (2), Ogun (1), Ondo (1), Borno (1), Abia (1), Bauchi (1).

276 new confirmed cases and 16 deaths were recorded in Nigeria

No new state reported any infection in the last 24 hours.

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