1 00:00:01,600 --> 00:00:04,900 ♪ ♪ 2 00:00:05,866 --> 00:00:06,800 (thermometer beeps) 3 00:00:06,866 --> 00:00:08,000 ♪ ♪ 4 00:00:08,066 --> 00:00:11,333 NARRATOR: A world turned upside down... 5 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:13,733 KIZZMEKIA CORBETT: We are in a dire situation. 6 00:00:13,800 --> 00:00:15,000 (ventilator hisses) 7 00:00:15,066 --> 00:00:17,033 NARRATOR: ...with deserted streets 8 00:00:17,100 --> 00:00:21,133 and hospitals filled to the breaking point. 9 00:00:21,200 --> 00:00:22,966 MATTHEW LEBOW: Everyone is at their limit. 10 00:00:23,033 --> 00:00:24,566 ♪ ♪ 11 00:00:24,633 --> 00:00:27,333 NARRATOR: Chaos caused by the tiniest of enemies, 12 00:00:27,400 --> 00:00:30,766 thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand. 13 00:00:30,833 --> 00:00:34,066 GALIT ALTER: We've seen pathogens emerge all over the world. 14 00:00:34,133 --> 00:00:35,800 We just don't really know what we're dealing with. 15 00:00:35,866 --> 00:00:37,633 (sneezes) 16 00:00:37,700 --> 00:00:40,200 ALICE BEAL: This is much more contagious. 17 00:00:40,266 --> 00:00:41,866 And it's changed how we practice medicine. 18 00:00:41,933 --> 00:00:44,866 DAN BAROUCH: If the majority of the population gets infected, 19 00:00:44,933 --> 00:00:46,966 there will be enormous loss of life. 20 00:00:47,033 --> 00:00:50,533 NARRATOR: How can we stop this invisible killer 21 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,500 that is baffling scientists? 22 00:00:52,566 --> 00:00:54,366 ♪ ♪ 23 00:00:54,433 --> 00:00:55,633 NAHID BHADELIA: There are people who get this infection 24 00:00:55,700 --> 00:00:58,666 shedding the virus before they get sick, 25 00:00:58,733 --> 00:01:00,233 and may never have any symptoms. 26 00:01:00,300 --> 00:01:05,066 NARRATOR: A global race to find treatments for the sick 27 00:01:05,133 --> 00:01:07,866 and a vaccine to protect the healthy. 28 00:01:07,933 --> 00:01:10,600 BHADELIA: This ends with most or all of us being immune to this virus, 29 00:01:10,666 --> 00:01:13,400 and ideally, that's through a vaccine. 30 00:01:13,466 --> 00:01:16,500 NARRATOR: Can solutions that usually take years... 31 00:01:16,566 --> 00:01:20,066 BAROUCH: We are trying to move as fast as we possibly can. 32 00:01:20,133 --> 00:01:22,600 NARRATOR: ...be found in a matter of months? 33 00:01:22,666 --> 00:01:25,733 CORBETT: It is an extremely revolutionary approach. 34 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:28,633 To get into a phase-one clinical trial 35 00:01:28,700 --> 00:01:32,200 66 days after the sequence of a virus is released 36 00:01:32,266 --> 00:01:34,166 is a world record. 37 00:01:34,233 --> 00:01:37,166 NARRATOR: Will we face more waves of infection 38 00:01:37,233 --> 00:01:41,333 before science can defeat the coronavirus? 39 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:42,666 DAVID PRIDE: Time is the one thing 40 00:01:42,733 --> 00:01:43,933 we don't have right now. 41 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,533 NARRATOR: "Decoding COVID-19"-- 42 00:01:47,600 --> 00:01:51,033 right now on "NOVA." 43 00:01:51,100 --> 00:01:55,600 ♪ ♪ 44 00:01:55,666 --> 00:01:59,166 ANNOUNCER: Major funding for "NOVA" is provided by the following: 45 00:02:15,433 --> 00:02:16,300 ♪ ♪ 46 00:02:16,366 --> 00:02:18,666 NARRATOR: Wuhan, China. 47 00:02:18,733 --> 00:02:23,233 December 31, 2019. 48 00:02:23,300 --> 00:02:27,700 Reports of an outbreak of a mysterious illness. 49 00:02:27,766 --> 00:02:29,566 (horn beeps) 50 00:02:29,633 --> 00:02:33,366 Symptoms include a fever, a dry cough, 51 00:02:33,433 --> 00:02:36,466 and in some cases, 52 00:02:36,533 --> 00:02:39,300 severely compromised breathing. 53 00:02:39,366 --> 00:02:41,133 ♪ ♪ 54 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:44,333 The international press picks up the story. 55 00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:45,966 Scientists in China are trying to determine 56 00:02:46,033 --> 00:02:47,666 if a new virus strain is responsible 57 00:02:47,733 --> 00:02:49,433 for a pneumonia outbreak in the city of Wuhan. 58 00:02:49,500 --> 00:02:54,233 NARRATOR: For the moment, it seems a world away. 59 00:02:54,300 --> 00:02:58,233 As of now, there has not been a U.S. infection, as of yet. 60 00:02:58,300 --> 00:03:02,733 NARRATOR: But for some scientists, this is exactly the early warning signal WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 61 00:02:58,300 --> 00:03:02,733 NARRATOR: But for some scientists, this is exactly the early warning signal 62 00:03:02,800 --> 00:03:04,066 they've long been dreading. 63 00:03:04,133 --> 00:03:05,666 REPORTER: The future of the people of China, 64 00:03:05,733 --> 00:03:07,100 and not only of Asia, but of the world, 65 00:03:07,166 --> 00:03:08,900 could be at stake here. 66 00:03:14,133 --> 00:03:19,466 ♪ ♪ 67 00:03:26,100 --> 00:03:28,433 BHADELIA: I think all of us held our breath. 68 00:03:28,500 --> 00:03:31,500 Because the question was, 69 00:03:31,566 --> 00:03:34,033 could this be that combination of a virus 70 00:03:34,100 --> 00:03:36,433 that's both easy to transmit 71 00:03:36,500 --> 00:03:40,500 and perhaps maybe not as deadly as what we might see with Ebola, 72 00:03:40,566 --> 00:03:42,333 but still have just devastating impact 73 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:44,566 on the resilience of our communities? 74 00:03:44,633 --> 00:03:46,533 ♪ ♪ 75 00:03:46,600 --> 00:03:50,666 NARRATOR: The initial fear is that some kind of virus 76 00:03:50,733 --> 00:03:53,600 might have jumped from an animal to a human 77 00:03:53,666 --> 00:03:56,466 and then spread. 78 00:03:56,533 --> 00:03:58,100 It's happened before. 79 00:03:58,166 --> 00:03:59,533 ♪ ♪ 80 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:03,000 One possible way transmission can occur 81 00:04:03,066 --> 00:04:05,166 is in markets where domesticated and wild animals 82 00:04:05,233 --> 00:04:07,466 are kept in close proximity, 83 00:04:07,533 --> 00:04:09,700 common throughout Asia. 84 00:04:09,766 --> 00:04:14,666 MICHAEL OSTERHOLM: And you can see hundreds and hundreds of different animals 85 00:04:14,733 --> 00:04:16,333 of every imaginable creation... 86 00:04:16,400 --> 00:04:18,633 (people speaking in local language) 87 00:04:18,700 --> 00:04:20,866 ...from many different locations 88 00:04:20,933 --> 00:04:22,966 that are sold as food. 89 00:04:23,033 --> 00:04:27,566 NARRATOR: Wet markets were a major suspect in the deadly SARS outbreak 90 00:04:27,633 --> 00:04:30,800 that began in 2002. 91 00:04:30,866 --> 00:04:33,833 It spread to nearly 30 countries, 92 00:04:33,900 --> 00:04:37,066 infected over 8,000 people, 93 00:04:37,133 --> 00:04:42,166 and killed 774 before it was contained. 94 00:04:45,333 --> 00:04:47,000 But some scientists believed 95 00:04:47,066 --> 00:04:49,166 the world had actually dodged a bullet. 96 00:04:49,233 --> 00:04:51,300 (crowd cheering) 97 00:04:51,366 --> 00:04:56,533 That a future epidemic could be much, much worse. 98 00:04:56,600 --> 00:04:57,833 And in January, 99 00:04:57,900 --> 00:05:02,233 there are signs that that future may have arrived. 100 00:05:02,300 --> 00:05:06,666 Because this virus appears to be more contagious 101 00:05:06,733 --> 00:05:09,566 and stealthier. 102 00:05:09,633 --> 00:05:12,233 ♪ ♪ 103 00:05:12,300 --> 00:05:14,800 As alarm over the virus grows, 104 00:05:14,866 --> 00:05:19,833 researchers scramble to analyze it. 105 00:05:19,900 --> 00:05:25,733 Then, on January 10, a major breakthrough: 106 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:29,000 Chinese scientists publish the entire genome 107 00:05:29,066 --> 00:05:30,866 of the mysterious pathogen. 108 00:05:30,933 --> 00:05:32,433 ♪ ♪ 109 00:05:32,500 --> 00:05:35,366 Rhiju Das, and scientists worldwide, 110 00:05:35,433 --> 00:05:39,133 begin to decipher a genetic sequence 111 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:43,566 that's never been seen before. 112 00:05:43,633 --> 00:05:45,800 The virus actually has probably been out there in the world 113 00:05:45,866 --> 00:05:48,100 and evolving for, probably for a while. 114 00:05:48,166 --> 00:05:49,800 Probably in bats, actually, 115 00:05:49,866 --> 00:05:51,866 and then maybe through an intermediate animal 116 00:05:51,933 --> 00:05:53,833 that we don't yet really know, 117 00:05:53,900 --> 00:05:55,366 it's now jumped into humans. 118 00:05:55,433 --> 00:05:58,300 So it's not a novel entity on Earth, 119 00:05:58,366 --> 00:06:00,566 but it is novel in humans. 120 00:06:00,633 --> 00:06:02,066 ♪ ♪ WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 121 00:06:00,633 --> 00:06:02,066 ♪ ♪ 122 00:06:02,133 --> 00:06:04,600 NARRATOR: It may be novel to us, 123 00:06:04,666 --> 00:06:06,666 but it belongs to a family of pathogens 124 00:06:06,733 --> 00:06:10,333 called coronaviruses, 125 00:06:10,400 --> 00:06:13,933 named for the spikes that protrude from their surfaces, 126 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:19,233 giving them a crown-like appearance. 127 00:06:19,300 --> 00:06:20,933 Coronaviruses are little more 128 00:06:21,000 --> 00:06:23,233 than a set of genetic instructions 129 00:06:23,300 --> 00:06:27,966 wrapped in a fatty shell with protein spikes. 130 00:06:28,033 --> 00:06:31,766 These spikes are like keys, which lock into receptors 131 00:06:31,833 --> 00:06:35,733 on cells in your lungs and elsewhere. 132 00:06:35,800 --> 00:06:39,400 Once the virus enters, its cargo of genetic code 133 00:06:39,466 --> 00:06:43,666 takes over the cell's machinery and makes new viruses, 134 00:06:43,733 --> 00:06:47,500 which head off to infect more cells. 135 00:06:49,966 --> 00:06:52,866 At the National Institutes of Health, 136 00:06:52,933 --> 00:06:57,133 immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett studies these pathogens. 137 00:06:57,200 --> 00:06:59,500 CORBETT: Coronaviruses, there are hundreds. 138 00:06:59,566 --> 00:07:02,600 We've heard about MERS and we've heard about SARS. 139 00:07:02,666 --> 00:07:04,333 There are four additional viruses 140 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:06,566 that circulate in humans 141 00:07:06,633 --> 00:07:10,466 and cause some level of cold and sniffles and throat aches 142 00:07:10,533 --> 00:07:14,166 in people every single year. 143 00:07:14,233 --> 00:07:18,466 NARRATOR: Scientists estimate there are more viruses in the world 144 00:07:18,533 --> 00:07:22,133 than stars in the universe. 145 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,166 Luckily, most are harmless, 146 00:07:24,233 --> 00:07:28,600 whether they're around us or in us. 147 00:07:28,666 --> 00:07:32,266 And many have left their mark in our DNA. 148 00:07:32,333 --> 00:07:34,866 DAS: When the human genome was sequenced 149 00:07:34,933 --> 00:07:36,266 at the end of the last century, 150 00:07:36,333 --> 00:07:38,100 I think one of the big surprises 151 00:07:38,166 --> 00:07:43,033 was that our genomes are full of the fragments of viruses. 152 00:07:43,100 --> 00:07:44,833 And they're basically the remnants 153 00:07:44,900 --> 00:07:47,100 of all of these relatively harmless viral infections 154 00:07:47,166 --> 00:07:49,400 that we're constantly undergoing. 155 00:07:49,466 --> 00:07:52,166 NARRATOR: The danger can come 156 00:07:52,233 --> 00:07:56,233 when we run into a virus we've never met. 157 00:07:56,300 --> 00:07:57,833 ♪ ♪ 158 00:07:57,900 --> 00:07:59,600 DAS: When a virus jumps from another animal 159 00:07:59,666 --> 00:08:02,200 and finds a way to infect a human, 160 00:08:02,266 --> 00:08:08,166 they typically have not evolved to be a nice partner to us. 161 00:08:08,233 --> 00:08:10,133 They will replicate like crazy. 162 00:08:10,200 --> 00:08:14,800 PRIDE: It's very difficult on a cell to be infected with the virus, 163 00:08:14,866 --> 00:08:16,333 because the virus sort of says, 164 00:08:16,400 --> 00:08:19,033 "Stop doing what you're programmed to do. 165 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:21,633 Instead, do what I program you to do." 166 00:08:21,700 --> 00:08:26,166 DAS: Our human bodies haven't had enough time to evolve defenses 167 00:08:26,233 --> 00:08:28,933 to make sure everything's under control. 168 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,900 And those are the viruses we have to worry about. 169 00:08:31,966 --> 00:08:37,300 ♪ ♪ 170 00:08:38,866 --> 00:08:43,933 NARRATOR: In China, word of the virus is traveling. 171 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:45,633 (speaking Chinese) 172 00:08:45,700 --> 00:08:47,100 (translated): I heard about an unknown pneumonia 173 00:08:47,166 --> 00:08:48,566 spreading in Wuhan 174 00:08:48,633 --> 00:08:49,900 in early January. 175 00:08:49,966 --> 00:08:52,100 ♪ ♪ 176 00:08:52,166 --> 00:08:56,866 NARRATOR: Liu Qi is a 21-year-old university student in Wuhan. 177 00:08:58,366 --> 00:09:01,733 The news had been saying it's not a big deal. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 178 00:08:58,366 --> 00:09:01,733 The news had been saying it's not a big deal. 179 00:09:01,800 --> 00:09:03,033 I went on with my life. 180 00:09:03,100 --> 00:09:06,733 NARRATOR: But then, on January 17, 181 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:11,766 Liu comes down with what he thinks is just a seasonal bug. 182 00:09:11,833 --> 00:09:14,966 QI (translated): I thought it was a regular cold. 183 00:09:15,033 --> 00:09:19,000 NARRATOR: Four days later, he develops a fever. 184 00:09:19,066 --> 00:09:21,600 I called my dad, told him my symptoms. 185 00:09:21,666 --> 00:09:25,833 He thought it was weird and asked me to return home A.S.A.P. 186 00:09:25,900 --> 00:09:27,766 We went to the hospital for a check-up that night. 187 00:09:27,833 --> 00:09:31,366 A scan showed my lungs were infected. 188 00:09:31,433 --> 00:09:33,933 NARRATOR: The doctor gives him a prescription 189 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,466 and tells him to stay at home and rest. 190 00:09:36,533 --> 00:09:39,633 Until then, he hasn't been terribly anxious, 191 00:09:39,700 --> 00:09:41,666 but that changes. 192 00:09:41,733 --> 00:09:43,266 (Qi speaking Chinese) 193 00:09:43,333 --> 00:09:45,300 (translated): As soon as I started taking the medication, 194 00:09:45,366 --> 00:09:48,800 my symptoms got worse. 195 00:09:48,866 --> 00:09:50,400 I lost my appetite, 196 00:09:50,466 --> 00:09:52,833 I couldn't keep anything down, 197 00:09:52,900 --> 00:09:55,833 and I had terrible diarrhea. 198 00:09:55,900 --> 00:09:58,400 I felt really bad. 199 00:09:58,466 --> 00:10:01,366 NARRATOR: Liu's fever is a sign 200 00:10:01,433 --> 00:10:05,400 that his body is under siege from a foreign invader 201 00:10:05,466 --> 00:10:09,133 and starting to fight back with its only available weapon: 202 00:10:09,200 --> 00:10:12,566 his immune system. 203 00:10:12,633 --> 00:10:14,766 DAS: It's like a thriller. 204 00:10:14,833 --> 00:10:18,000 There are bad guys and then there are good guys, okay? 205 00:10:18,066 --> 00:10:22,000 And the bad guys are viruses and bacteria and foreign junk 206 00:10:22,066 --> 00:10:23,900 that is always coming, intruding in our body. 207 00:10:25,466 --> 00:10:28,866 NARRATOR: The "good guys" are billions of immune cells and proteins 208 00:10:28,933 --> 00:10:32,833 that are constantly on the lookout. 209 00:10:32,900 --> 00:10:36,233 CORBETT: They will essentially act like a police force, 210 00:10:36,300 --> 00:10:39,200 where they see the invader, this virus that's coming 211 00:10:39,266 --> 00:10:42,700 to set up shop, essentially, in your lungs, 212 00:10:42,766 --> 00:10:44,500 in your nose, in your throat. 213 00:10:44,566 --> 00:10:47,066 ♪ ♪ 214 00:10:47,133 --> 00:10:49,000 ALTER: The immune system begins to sense 215 00:10:49,066 --> 00:10:54,800 that there is a foreign invader inside the body. 216 00:10:54,866 --> 00:10:58,933 DAS: They go back to headquarters, which is in our lymph nodes, 217 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:02,633 and they say, "We got to go and figure out a response." 218 00:11:02,700 --> 00:11:05,366 ALTER: And what those cells do is, 219 00:11:05,433 --> 00:11:07,733 they can start to educate the immune system 220 00:11:07,800 --> 00:11:12,800 of what exactly this pathogen looks like. 221 00:11:12,866 --> 00:11:17,133 NARRATOR: While this battle rages, Liu's symptoms worsen. 222 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,600 I start to worry that I caught the disease. 223 00:11:19,666 --> 00:11:23,400   I never felt so much pain. 224 00:11:23,466 --> 00:11:24,866 I felt like I was dying. 225 00:11:24,933 --> 00:11:26,333 I was scared. 226 00:11:26,400 --> 00:11:28,900 NARRATOR: A second scan reveals an infection 227 00:11:28,966 --> 00:11:30,933 from the COVID-19 virus 228 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:32,900 is spreading throughout his lungs. 229 00:11:32,966 --> 00:11:36,200 Meanwhile, it's spreading throughout the world, as well. 230 00:11:36,266 --> 00:11:38,800 ♪ ♪ 231 00:11:43,233 --> 00:11:45,500 After surfacing in Wuhan, 232 00:11:45,566 --> 00:11:48,266 the virus rapidly crosses borders, 233 00:11:48,333 --> 00:11:52,466 reaching Thailand, Japan, South Korea... 234 00:11:52,533 --> 00:11:54,033 and beyond. 235 00:11:54,100 --> 00:11:56,700 JEFFREY SHAMAN: When we saw this outbreak, 236 00:11:56,766 --> 00:11:58,600 we were struck by the rapidity 237 00:11:58,666 --> 00:12:01,066 with which it spread geographically within China 238 00:12:01,133 --> 00:12:02,933 and how it quickly translocated WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 239 00:12:01,133 --> 00:12:02,933 and how it quickly translocated 240 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:05,100 to other countries around the world. 241 00:12:05,166 --> 00:12:08,966 NARRATOR: Hotspots soon erupt in the Middle East and Europe, 242 00:12:09,033 --> 00:12:12,700 with Italy hit hardest. 243 00:12:12,766 --> 00:12:14,633 ALTER: It was really like tracking a race. 244 00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:16,833 And so what that told us 245 00:12:16,900 --> 00:12:19,133 is that even before symptoms began to manifest, 246 00:12:19,200 --> 00:12:23,400 that's when individuals could be highly contagious. 247 00:12:25,166 --> 00:12:28,233 NARRATOR: Within months, the virus reaches every continent 248 00:12:28,300 --> 00:12:29,966 except Antarctica, 249 00:12:30,033 --> 00:12:32,200 including North America. 250 00:12:32,266 --> 00:12:34,500 SHAMAN: There are a lot of people 251 00:12:34,566 --> 00:12:36,366 who are unaware that they're infected. 252 00:12:36,433 --> 00:12:37,733 They never become symptomatic, 253 00:12:37,800 --> 00:12:40,433 or if they do, they're mildly symptomatic. 254 00:12:40,500 --> 00:12:41,633 They don't stay home. 255 00:12:41,700 --> 00:12:45,033 They ride public transportation, they go to work, 256 00:12:45,100 --> 00:12:48,466 they get on airplanes to take business trips. 257 00:12:48,533 --> 00:12:50,966 They take the virus to new places 258 00:12:51,033 --> 00:12:53,300 and introduce it to new communities, 259 00:12:53,366 --> 00:12:55,800 where it then spreads further. 260 00:12:55,866 --> 00:12:58,000 Coronavirus cases in the tri-state continue to rise. 261 00:12:58,066 --> 00:13:00,900 This morning, there are 44 confirmed cases 262 00:13:00,966 --> 00:13:02,933 of the disease... 263 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:07,200 (birds squawking) 264 00:13:11,933 --> 00:13:16,100 ♪ ♪ 265 00:13:16,166 --> 00:13:19,233 NARRATOR: In late February, the virus still seems 266 00:13:19,300 --> 00:13:21,966 like a distant threat to many New Yorkers, 267 00:13:22,033 --> 00:13:24,333 like Jessica Brown, who lives in Queens 268 00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:27,166 with her husband, three children, 269 00:13:27,233 --> 00:13:29,366 and her father, George. 270 00:13:29,433 --> 00:13:30,833 ♪ ♪ 271 00:13:30,900 --> 00:13:34,866 At age 73, keeping up with his three active grandchildren 272 00:13:34,933 --> 00:13:36,700 is not a problem. 273 00:13:36,766 --> 00:13:43,100 MATTHEW LEBOW: My grandfather's personality was "one of the kids." 274 00:13:43,166 --> 00:13:44,566 He was the first one to come up 275 00:13:44,633 --> 00:13:47,066 with doing something goofy or silly. 276 00:13:47,133 --> 00:13:50,100 He was at every sporting event. 277 00:13:50,166 --> 00:13:52,733 He was at every graduation, 278 00:13:52,800 --> 00:13:56,000 every spelling bee, every birthday. 279 00:13:56,066 --> 00:13:58,733 BROWN: Dad never knew what the adventure was going to be. 280 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:00,166 But he never said no. 281 00:14:00,233 --> 00:14:02,833 He always just said, "There I am, kidnapped again." 282 00:14:02,900 --> 00:14:04,966 ♪ ♪ 283 00:14:05,033 --> 00:14:08,266 NARRATOR: The first week of March, George makes it to four 284 00:14:08,333 --> 00:14:10,400 of his granddaughter's basketball games 285 00:14:10,466 --> 00:14:14,333 and a Broadway play, 286 00:14:14,400 --> 00:14:17,566 unaware that the coronavirus is all around him 287 00:14:17,633 --> 00:14:20,700 and could be contracted with astonishing ease. 288 00:14:20,766 --> 00:14:25,300 Studies reveal it can remain infectious on some surfaces 289 00:14:25,366 --> 00:14:27,600 for up to three days, 290 00:14:27,666 --> 00:14:30,166 or suspended in the air for a short time 291 00:14:30,233 --> 00:14:35,733 after an infected person coughs or breathes. 292 00:14:35,800 --> 00:14:38,266 LEBOW: When my grandfather first started to get sick, 293 00:14:38,333 --> 00:14:40,200 it was, you know, "I have a stuffy nose, 294 00:14:40,266 --> 00:14:41,966 but, you know, I'm okay, I'm hanging in there." 295 00:14:42,033 --> 00:14:44,833 We all just took it as if it was a common cold. 296 00:14:44,900 --> 00:14:48,000 NARRATOR: Over the next three days, 297 00:14:48,066 --> 00:14:50,766 his symptoms rapidly get worse. 298 00:14:50,833 --> 00:14:53,533 BROWN: I said, "Dad, I think you have to go to a doctor. 299 00:14:53,600 --> 00:14:55,466 I just don't like the way you look." 300 00:14:55,533 --> 00:14:57,000 And he said, "Oh, stop it, stop it. 301 00:14:57,066 --> 00:14:59,033 Let's see what happens when you get home from work." 302 00:14:59,100 --> 00:15:01,466 Friday, I get home from work, he was shaking. 303 00:15:01,533 --> 00:15:04,500 My mom called me the next day and that's when she said, WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 304 00:15:01,533 --> 00:15:04,500 My mom called me the next day and that's when she said, 305 00:15:04,566 --> 00:15:06,600 you know, "Pops isn't looking good." 306 00:15:06,666 --> 00:15:08,766 You know, "He's starting to tremble 307 00:15:08,833 --> 00:15:12,900 "and he just seems like he's moving significantly slower 308 00:15:12,966 --> 00:15:14,166 than he was the day before." 309 00:15:14,233 --> 00:15:17,400 BROWN: So I brought him into the hospital. 310 00:15:17,466 --> 00:15:20,800 They didn't think that it was coronavirus, 311 00:15:20,866 --> 00:15:22,666 but they did take him and put him in isolation anyway, 312 00:15:22,733 --> 00:15:25,033 'cause this was just the beginning of it. 313 00:15:25,100 --> 00:15:26,966 They gave my husband and myself a mask and asked us 314 00:15:27,033 --> 00:15:28,966 to please wait in the waiting room. 315 00:15:29,033 --> 00:15:31,666 I saw him leave to go get a chest X-ray. 316 00:15:31,733 --> 00:15:33,566 I said, "How do you feel?" He looked better. 317 00:15:33,633 --> 00:15:35,033 They gave him some oxygen. 318 00:15:35,100 --> 00:15:37,433 He gave me a thumbs-up, and told me to bring him some newspapers. 319 00:15:38,833 --> 00:15:42,166 NARRATOR: Hours later, George is taken to the I.C.U. 320 00:15:42,233 --> 00:15:45,100 and diagnosed with COVID-19. 321 00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,833 The liaison between the critical care team and his family 322 00:15:49,900 --> 00:15:54,033 is veteran palliative care doctor Alice Beal. 323 00:15:54,100 --> 00:15:55,466 BEAL: This is somewhat reminiscent 324 00:15:55,533 --> 00:15:59,000 of the AIDS crisis, in the fear that people have. 325 00:15:59,066 --> 00:16:04,633 But this is much more contagious than AIDS ever was. 326 00:16:04,700 --> 00:16:08,366 And it's changed how we practice medicine. 327 00:16:08,433 --> 00:16:12,233 We touch, we examine, we listen. 328 00:16:12,300 --> 00:16:15,733 In this pandemic, I don't even get to see my patients. 329 00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,566 I don't even get to talk to many of them. 330 00:16:18,633 --> 00:16:22,066 NARRATOR: That is certainly true for George, 331 00:16:22,133 --> 00:16:24,466 who, like many coronavirus patients, 332 00:16:24,533 --> 00:16:27,966 is struggling to breathe. 333 00:16:28,033 --> 00:16:30,100 ♪ ♪ 334 00:16:30,166 --> 00:16:36,033 In healthy lungs, tiny air sacs deliver oxygen to blood vessels. 335 00:16:36,100 --> 00:16:38,566 But as the virus kills cells, 336 00:16:38,633 --> 00:16:40,500 and the immune system fights back, 337 00:16:40,566 --> 00:16:45,566 inflammation results, filling the lungs with fluid and debris, 338 00:16:45,633 --> 00:16:48,766 blocking the flow of oxygen. 339 00:16:48,833 --> 00:16:51,100 ALTER: What happens to some of these individuals 340 00:16:51,166 --> 00:16:52,766 that go down this severe path 341 00:16:52,833 --> 00:16:54,166 is, they begin to make 342 00:16:54,233 --> 00:16:58,400 this massive burst of inflammatory molecules 343 00:16:58,466 --> 00:16:59,866 that we call the cytokine storm. 344 00:16:59,933 --> 00:17:05,133 Now, once that signal or that alarm goes off in the body, 345 00:17:05,200 --> 00:17:08,400 all kinds of other immune cells that we have in our system 346 00:17:08,466 --> 00:17:10,900 start to swarm in. 347 00:17:10,966 --> 00:17:13,233 That then basically sends the immune system 348 00:17:13,300 --> 00:17:16,466 into this incredible disarray. 349 00:17:16,533 --> 00:17:20,633 BHADELIA: Your own immune system then becomes an enemy to your body. 350 00:17:20,700 --> 00:17:23,000 So in that combination of both the direct damage 351 00:17:23,066 --> 00:17:24,166 that the virus does 352 00:17:24,233 --> 00:17:25,500 and the inflammation that comes 353 00:17:25,566 --> 00:17:27,800 from the immune system overreacting to the virus, 354 00:17:27,866 --> 00:17:33,000 you get a scenario where people start to have trouble breathing. 355 00:17:33,066 --> 00:17:35,233 NARRATOR: Many patients, like George, 356 00:17:35,300 --> 00:17:37,500 end up needing a mechanical ventilator 357 00:17:37,566 --> 00:17:41,400 to do their breathing for them. 358 00:17:41,466 --> 00:17:44,033 (voice trembling): Throughout the night, he started showing symptoms, 359 00:17:44,100 --> 00:17:46,366 and they had to put him on a vent. 360 00:17:46,433 --> 00:17:50,000 And once they said that they put him on a vent, 361 00:17:50,066 --> 00:17:54,100 I just knew that it wasn't good. 362 00:17:54,166 --> 00:17:57,533 It was such a shock to his daughter 363 00:17:57,600 --> 00:17:59,200 that when I called her, 364 00:17:59,266 --> 00:18:02,500 she just couldn't understand how this could happen. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 365 00:17:59,266 --> 00:18:02,500 she just couldn't understand how this could happen. 366 00:18:02,566 --> 00:18:05,000 I told her this is what this disease does. 367 00:18:05,066 --> 00:18:08,800 BROWN: She said that many things are going on 368 00:18:08,866 --> 00:18:10,566 in Dad's body right now. 369 00:18:10,633 --> 00:18:13,066 His enzymes are low, and it's showing that he may be having 370 00:18:13,133 --> 00:18:14,533 a massive heart attack. 371 00:18:14,600 --> 00:18:16,266 She wanted to come in. 372 00:18:16,333 --> 00:18:17,733 She desperately wanted to come in. 373 00:18:17,800 --> 00:18:20,000 She said, "I won't even bring my kids, just me." 374 00:18:20,066 --> 00:18:21,566 And I said, "No, it's just too unsafe." 375 00:18:21,633 --> 00:18:27,533 No families are allowed in the hospitals at all, anywhere. 376 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:29,200 BROWN: 15 minutes later, I called her back, 377 00:18:29,266 --> 00:18:31,033 and I said, "Please, we need closure." 378 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:33,866 And she said, "You hold on, you give me ten minutes 379 00:18:33,933 --> 00:18:35,100 "and gather up your troops, 380 00:18:35,166 --> 00:18:38,366 and we are going to figure something out." 381 00:18:38,433 --> 00:18:41,200 BEAL: There are no phones in the rooms in the I.C.U. 382 00:18:41,266 --> 00:18:43,600 and he didn't have a smartphone. 383 00:18:43,666 --> 00:18:46,733 One of my residents figured out 384 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:50,666 we could hook the intercom up to a speaker phone. 385 00:18:50,733 --> 00:18:53,500 It wouldn't be private, but the family could say goodbye. 386 00:18:53,566 --> 00:18:57,833 LEBOW: My whole family was together in our kitchen, 387 00:18:57,900 --> 00:19:00,333 and, and our dog Charlie, 388 00:19:00,400 --> 00:19:02,833 and she had us go on speaker phone 389 00:19:02,900 --> 00:19:05,700 over an intercom into my grandfather's room. 390 00:19:05,766 --> 00:19:12,066 (voice breaking): And all five of us were able to say our goodbyes to my dad. 391 00:19:12,133 --> 00:19:14,400 Obviously through a lot of tears and crying. 392 00:19:14,466 --> 00:19:17,566 And that was the closure that we needed. 393 00:19:17,633 --> 00:19:22,700 He heard us, he heard us say goodbye. 394 00:19:22,766 --> 00:19:25,766 LEBOW: Seeing these people going to the hospital alone 395 00:19:25,833 --> 00:19:27,600 and not being able to bring their loved ones 396 00:19:27,666 --> 00:19:28,900 and have no one there, 397 00:19:28,966 --> 00:19:31,366 I think that everyone hearing it-- 398 00:19:31,433 --> 00:19:34,633 for the healthcare professionals and for the patients there-- 399 00:19:34,700 --> 00:19:37,733 that it would give a sense of hope. 400 00:19:37,800 --> 00:19:39,300 And yes, you're in the hospital, you're alone, 401 00:19:39,366 --> 00:19:41,500 but the entire world is thinking about you and praying for you 402 00:19:41,566 --> 00:19:44,900 to pull through and, you know, get through this. 403 00:19:44,966 --> 00:19:46,833 (machinery beeping) 404 00:19:49,033 --> 00:19:51,966 (siren blaring) 405 00:19:52,033 --> 00:19:56,900 NARRATOR: After his grandfather's death, Matthew is called back to work. 406 00:19:56,966 --> 00:20:02,400 As a New York City E.M.T., he is desperately needed. 407 00:20:02,466 --> 00:20:05,133 LEBOW: When I went back to work, 408 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:09,600 it seems that we were smack in the middle of chaos. 409 00:20:09,666 --> 00:20:11,700 And I could look at my partners' faces and just see 410 00:20:11,766 --> 00:20:13,933 that they're already drained. 411 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,933 And they would just shake their heads and say, "Matt, it's bad." 412 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,066 (machinery beeping, people talking in background) 413 00:20:19,133 --> 00:20:21,566 We're bringing people to the hospital 414 00:20:21,633 --> 00:20:23,933 and we're waiting three-and-a-half hours 415 00:20:24,000 --> 00:20:26,000 to get them into a bed in the hospital 416 00:20:26,066 --> 00:20:27,766 because there's nowhere to put them. 417 00:20:27,833 --> 00:20:31,833 So, they're just sitting in our stretchers declining. 418 00:20:31,900 --> 00:20:38,566 NARRATOR: 16-hour shifts, answering call after call, are now the norm, 419 00:20:38,633 --> 00:20:43,566 as is telling patients' families that nothing can be done. 420 00:20:43,633 --> 00:20:47,566 Just shocked at how many are... I'm actually seeing deaths. 421 00:20:47,633 --> 00:20:50,166 We just came out of one pronounced. 422 00:20:50,233 --> 00:20:53,866 LEBOW: We're coming across these patients 423 00:20:53,933 --> 00:20:55,366 who have been tested for the virus, 424 00:20:55,433 --> 00:20:59,133 and they tested positive, and they're sent home. 425 00:20:59,200 --> 00:21:00,866 We're getting called into people's homes, 426 00:21:00,933 --> 00:21:02,400 and they're in cardiac arrest. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 427 00:21:00,933 --> 00:21:02,400 and they're in cardiac arrest. 428 00:21:02,466 --> 00:21:05,700 And they're not breathing, they have no pulse. 429 00:21:05,766 --> 00:21:07,033 And, you know, we're asking what happened, 430 00:21:07,100 --> 00:21:09,166 as we begin doing CPR. 431 00:21:09,233 --> 00:21:11,833 It's almost too late. 432 00:21:11,900 --> 00:21:15,700 We can't help anybody. 433 00:21:15,766 --> 00:21:17,900 Everyone is at their limit. 434 00:21:17,966 --> 00:21:21,933 And all we can think about is when it's going to end. 435 00:21:26,266 --> 00:21:28,433 ♪ ♪ 436 00:21:28,500 --> 00:21:33,533 NARRATOR: Across the city, Jeffrey Shaman is asking the same question. 437 00:21:33,600 --> 00:21:35,766 Using data collected by the "New York Times" 438 00:21:35,833 --> 00:21:38,300 and the U.S. Census Bureau, 439 00:21:38,366 --> 00:21:41,766 he models how the outbreak might evolve 440 00:21:41,833 --> 00:21:45,066 under different control measures. 441 00:21:45,133 --> 00:21:50,000 In one scenario, if the virus is allowed to spread freely, 442 00:21:50,066 --> 00:21:52,333 infection rates would soar, 443 00:21:52,400 --> 00:21:55,433 overwhelming the healthcare system. 444 00:21:55,500 --> 00:21:59,466 SHAMAN: We get a trajectory that shows a very aggressive outbreak, 445 00:21:59,533 --> 00:22:02,700 where roughly 75% or greater of the population 446 00:22:02,766 --> 00:22:05,400 is ultimately infected by this virus 447 00:22:05,466 --> 00:22:07,533 by the end of the summer. 448 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:10,333 ♪ ♪ 449 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:13,766 NARRATOR: And if regions adopt only partial control measures, 450 00:22:13,833 --> 00:22:18,500 the results would hardly be better. 451 00:22:18,566 --> 00:22:22,766 Only strict social distancing imposed nationwide 452 00:22:22,833 --> 00:22:25,633 would slow the rate of infection. 453 00:22:30,600 --> 00:22:33,833 LEBOW: The spread of this virus is no joke, 454 00:22:33,900 --> 00:22:39,366 and it is crucial for people to stay home. 455 00:22:39,433 --> 00:22:41,400 Speaking about how the virus spreads 456 00:22:41,466 --> 00:22:42,900 and how people could be carrying it 457 00:22:42,966 --> 00:22:44,566 and infecting others without even knowing it 458 00:22:44,633 --> 00:22:47,833 really touches close to home for me. 459 00:22:47,900 --> 00:22:51,633 (voice trembling): Because I was sick before my grandfather. 460 00:22:51,700 --> 00:22:54,266 And how do I know that that wasn't the virus in me? 461 00:22:54,333 --> 00:22:58,900 And I was hanging out with him while I was sick. 462 00:22:58,966 --> 00:23:01,766 We went for walks, we went to get coffee. 463 00:23:01,833 --> 00:23:05,566 (crying): And what if I'm a carrier and I gave it to him? 464 00:23:05,633 --> 00:23:09,500 NARRATOR: But strict social distancing 465 00:23:09,566 --> 00:23:12,800 comes with its own tremendous toll-- 466 00:23:12,866 --> 00:23:18,433 economic paralysis, mass unemployment. 467 00:23:18,500 --> 00:23:20,900 SHAMAN: And that's the thing that makes people really anxious. 468 00:23:20,966 --> 00:23:24,300 And I totally get that, because on one hand, 469 00:23:24,366 --> 00:23:26,166 we don't want people to die here. 470 00:23:26,233 --> 00:23:30,400 On the other side, unemployment rates are skyrocketing. 471 00:23:30,466 --> 00:23:35,333 People don't necessarily have food security. 472 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:38,166 And the economic consequences of doing this 473 00:23:38,233 --> 00:23:40,033 over maybe even a year or longer 474 00:23:40,100 --> 00:23:44,300 could be utterly devastating and hard to pull out of. 475 00:23:44,366 --> 00:23:48,266 OSTERHOLM: There are 320 million Americans today. 476 00:23:48,333 --> 00:23:50,333 We have every reason to believe 477 00:23:50,400 --> 00:23:51,666 that over the next 16 to 18 months, 478 00:23:51,733 --> 00:23:54,400 at least half of them will become infected. 479 00:23:54,466 --> 00:23:56,533 So, 160 million people. 480 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:01,900 This virus will find people who are susceptible. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 481 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:01,900 This virus will find people who are susceptible. 482 00:24:01,966 --> 00:24:06,033 Therefore, as soon as we have the least bit of let-up 483 00:24:06,100 --> 00:24:08,433 for any kind of these intensive control measures, 484 00:24:08,500 --> 00:24:10,000 the virus is going to come back. 485 00:24:10,066 --> 00:24:12,000 (people talking in background) 486 00:24:12,066 --> 00:24:17,300 NARRATOR: So is there a way to safely restart our economy? 487 00:24:17,366 --> 00:24:19,800 Perhaps, if we embrace strategies 488 00:24:19,866 --> 00:24:21,333 that stop transmission-- 489 00:24:21,400 --> 00:24:23,866 isolating the infected, 490 00:24:23,933 --> 00:24:28,433 instead of shutting down an entire country. 491 00:24:28,500 --> 00:24:31,166 BHADELIA: It's case-finding, it's finding people who are sick, 492 00:24:31,233 --> 00:24:32,500 and it's contact-tracing-- 493 00:24:32,566 --> 00:24:34,833 looking at everybody else the person who is sick 494 00:24:34,900 --> 00:24:36,466 has been in contact with. 495 00:24:36,533 --> 00:24:40,033 Then bringing everybody who we know is sick to care 496 00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:41,566 so they do not continue to transmit that infection 497 00:24:41,633 --> 00:24:43,266 in the community. 498 00:24:43,333 --> 00:24:46,200 MEDICAL WORKER: Can you pump your hand a little bit? 499 00:24:46,266 --> 00:24:48,966 NARRATOR: But is there another possible solution... 500 00:24:49,033 --> 00:24:50,666 All right, a little pin prick. 501 00:24:50,733 --> 00:24:51,933 NARRATOR: ...using blood tests 502 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:55,000 to determine who may already have immunity? 503 00:24:55,066 --> 00:24:56,033 Oh, you're good. 504 00:24:56,100 --> 00:24:58,300 ♪ ♪ 505 00:24:58,366 --> 00:25:02,366 NARRATOR: To find out, Duane Wesemann is biking samples of blood plasma 506 00:25:02,433 --> 00:25:04,033 across Boston, 507 00:25:04,100 --> 00:25:06,400 to the lab of Galit Alter. 508 00:25:06,466 --> 00:25:08,066 Hey. Hey, Galit. 509 00:25:08,133 --> 00:25:09,966 Hey, Duane, thanks for bringing them over. 510 00:25:10,033 --> 00:25:11,800 How many do you have today? 511 00:25:11,866 --> 00:25:14,033 Okay, we have about 40. 512 00:25:14,100 --> 00:25:16,033 Okay, that's a good batch, thanks. 513 00:25:16,100 --> 00:25:20,333 NARRATOR: Alter is testing the plasma for antibodies-- 514 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:26,266 proteins in the immune system that find and destroy invaders. 515 00:25:26,333 --> 00:25:28,466 ALTER: Antibodies are molecules that can see the target 516 00:25:28,533 --> 00:25:31,033 absolutely specifically. 517 00:25:31,100 --> 00:25:34,366 And those antibodies start to stick to the pathogen 518 00:25:34,433 --> 00:25:35,700 and to the infected cells 519 00:25:35,766 --> 00:25:37,700 and start to direct the immune system 520 00:25:37,766 --> 00:25:41,266 to kill those particular targets as rapidly as possible. 521 00:25:41,333 --> 00:25:43,300 And so these antibodies constantly mutate 522 00:25:43,366 --> 00:25:46,666 and they constantly evolve in order to bind tighter 523 00:25:46,733 --> 00:25:49,100 and more specifically to the virus. 524 00:25:49,166 --> 00:25:51,133 How's it going over here? 525 00:25:51,200 --> 00:25:53,600 NARRATOR: For Alter's test to be effective, 526 00:25:53,666 --> 00:25:55,866 it has to be able to tell the difference 527 00:25:55,933 --> 00:25:57,633 between antibodies to the COVID-19 virus 528 00:25:57,700 --> 00:25:59,766 and other coronaviruses, 529 00:25:59,833 --> 00:26:03,933 like those that cause some common colds. 530 00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:05,900 ALTER: So this is the common cold, 531 00:26:05,966 --> 00:26:07,733 and this is the novel coronavirus. 532 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,066 STEPHANIE FISCHINGER: This looks good. 533 00:26:10,133 --> 00:26:13,366 We just don't want any, like, false positive detections. 534 00:26:13,433 --> 00:26:16,266 NARRATOR: A single plate contains the plasma samples 535 00:26:16,333 --> 00:26:19,666 from 175 patients. 536 00:26:19,733 --> 00:26:23,566 ALTER: So what our tests do is, they essentially allow us to detect 537 00:26:23,633 --> 00:26:25,833 exactly how much antibody is there 538 00:26:25,900 --> 00:26:29,900 through particular reagents that change colors. 539 00:26:29,966 --> 00:26:33,166 NARRATOR: If COVID-19 antibodies are present, 540 00:26:33,233 --> 00:26:36,966 coloring agents will turn the plasma blue, and then yellow. 541 00:26:37,033 --> 00:26:39,400 Everything that's yellow will be positive, 542 00:26:39,466 --> 00:26:41,900 and of course, there's different levels of positivity. 543 00:26:43,733 --> 00:26:47,366 ALTER: Depending on the intensity of the color 544 00:26:47,433 --> 00:26:49,833 that appears inside the well, 545 00:26:49,900 --> 00:26:54,433 we can actually tell the exact amount of antibody 546 00:26:54,500 --> 00:26:56,733 you have in your immune system. 547 00:26:56,800 --> 00:26:58,266   And it gives each well a number. 548 00:26:58,333 --> 00:27:01,700 The higher the number, the more antibodies this person had. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 549 00:26:58,333 --> 00:27:01,700 The higher the number, the more antibodies this person had. 550 00:27:03,100 --> 00:27:06,400 Most commercial tests are only giving us a yes or no answer, 551 00:27:06,466 --> 00:27:08,300 you do or don't have antibodies. 552 00:27:08,366 --> 00:27:12,466 What our particular antibody test does is, it tells us 553 00:27:12,533 --> 00:27:16,333 exactly the level of antibody you have in your blood, 554 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,066 Because we believe that this level is really 555 00:27:19,133 --> 00:27:21,233 what is going to dictate whether or not you are going to be 556 00:27:21,300 --> 00:27:23,400 protected from infection or not. 557 00:27:23,466 --> 00:27:28,500 NARRATOR: Even if you have the right level of antibodies, 558 00:27:28,566 --> 00:27:31,966 are they the right type to neutralize the virus? 559 00:27:32,033 --> 00:27:35,766 If so, how long will they protect you? 560 00:27:35,833 --> 00:27:38,666 Are they like measles antibodies, 561 00:27:38,733 --> 00:27:42,333 which may confer lifelong immunity? 562 00:27:42,400 --> 00:27:46,366 Or seasonal flu antibodies that shield for less than a year? 563 00:27:46,433 --> 00:27:49,800 ALTER: Can you put the last guy here? Where's the last guy? 564 00:27:49,866 --> 00:27:53,966 NARRATOR: To find out, Alter's lab is working with Boston hospitals 565 00:27:54,033 --> 00:27:57,033 to follow patients with COVID-19 antibodies 566 00:27:57,100 --> 00:27:59,433 for the next two years. 567 00:27:59,500 --> 00:28:01,900 The people who are testing positive do have 568 00:28:01,966 --> 00:28:04,233 very high levels of antibodies. 569 00:28:04,300 --> 00:28:07,533 NARRATOR: She will check their antibody levels periodically 570 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:11,500 and keep track of who gets reinfected. 571 00:28:11,566 --> 00:28:15,133 There is this idea that if you have a positive antibody test 572 00:28:15,200 --> 00:28:18,333 that this may be sufficient for you to return to work 573 00:28:18,400 --> 00:28:19,933 and reenter society. 574 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:23,500 But what we've learned from many pathogens over the years 575 00:28:23,566 --> 00:28:26,133 is that it's not black and white. 576 00:28:26,200 --> 00:28:29,100 And what this type of analysis allows us to do now 577 00:28:29,166 --> 00:28:30,833 for the first time 578 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:32,566 is to define the specific characteristics 579 00:28:32,633 --> 00:28:34,666 of an antibody 580 00:28:34,733 --> 00:28:38,000 and the absolute level of antibody that gives you 581 00:28:38,066 --> 00:28:41,366 complete protection from disease. 582 00:28:41,433 --> 00:28:43,333 Once we have that number, 583 00:28:43,400 --> 00:28:47,733 we have the ability to give out those passports 584 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,433 that will allow people to reenter the population safely. 585 00:28:56,533 --> 00:28:59,866 NARRATOR: While scientists work around the clock 586 00:28:59,933 --> 00:29:01,633 to find ways to understand the link 587 00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:03,233 between antibodies and immunity, 588 00:29:03,300 --> 00:29:07,800 some doctors resort to an old practice-- 589 00:29:07,866 --> 00:29:10,466 borrowing immunity from recovered patients. 590 00:29:10,533 --> 00:29:15,033 ALTER: One of the oldest therapies that we have 591 00:29:15,100 --> 00:29:16,700 in medical practices 592 00:29:16,766 --> 00:29:20,866 is the transfer of immune plasma to people who are sick. 593 00:29:20,933 --> 00:29:22,333 And that's really what opened up 594 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,800 this entire field of antibody therapy. 595 00:29:24,866 --> 00:29:27,100 ♪ ♪ 596 00:29:27,166 --> 00:29:30,666 NARRATOR: In Wuhan, after a torturous three weeks, 597 00:29:30,733 --> 00:29:33,300 Liu has tested negative for the virus. 598 00:29:34,900 --> 00:29:39,333 Today, he's making another trip to the hospital. 599 00:29:39,400 --> 00:29:41,600 But not because he's sick. 600 00:29:41,666 --> 00:29:46,733 Doctors hope that Liu, as well as other recovered patients, 601 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:48,633 have immunity. 602 00:29:48,700 --> 00:29:51,966 The antibodies that his body manufactured to fight the virus 603 00:29:52,033 --> 00:29:54,000 are still coursing through his blood. 604 00:29:54,066 --> 00:29:57,766 The virus is still a threat to others, 605 00:29:57,833 --> 00:30:00,633 so Liu offers to donate blood plasma. 606 00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:03,933 But it's not easy. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 607 00:30:00,700 --> 00:30:03,933 But it's not easy. 608 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:08,633 Drivers are wary of being exposed. 609 00:30:08,700 --> 00:30:11,866 Liu does his best to be reassuring. 610 00:30:11,933 --> 00:30:14,533 (Qi speaking Chinese) 611 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:17,966 (translated): I saw so much tragedy during this pandemic. 612 00:30:18,033 --> 00:30:20,433 My motivation is to help doctors, 613 00:30:20,500 --> 00:30:23,066 help them save more people. 614 00:30:23,133 --> 00:30:25,333 I wish I could have been a doctor. 615 00:30:25,400 --> 00:30:27,100 So, as a normal person, 616 00:30:27,166 --> 00:30:29,966 I feel that donating blood is what I can do now. 617 00:30:32,066 --> 00:30:36,100 ♪ ♪ 618 00:30:36,166 --> 00:30:39,566 NARRATOR: Inside, staff wear ample protective gear. 619 00:30:39,633 --> 00:30:42,400 He's checked for fever, examined, 620 00:30:42,466 --> 00:30:44,266 and asked about his general health. 621 00:30:44,333 --> 00:30:45,400 NURSE: 622 00:30:45,466 --> 00:30:46,933 QI: 623 00:30:55,133 --> 00:30:58,366 QI (translated): During the donation, your blood flows into a machine 624 00:30:58,433 --> 00:31:00,700 that separates the plasma 625 00:31:00,766 --> 00:31:03,466 from red blood cells and platelets. 626 00:31:03,533 --> 00:31:05,266 Those come back into your body 627 00:31:05,333 --> 00:31:07,100 while the hospital keeps the plasma, 628 00:31:07,166 --> 00:31:08,866 which has antibodies in it. 629 00:31:08,933 --> 00:31:13,866 NARRATOR: As he leaves, staff give him a can of protein powder 630 00:31:13,933 --> 00:31:16,833 to help keep up his strength, 631 00:31:16,900 --> 00:31:18,766 along with thanks and a certificate 632 00:31:18,833 --> 00:31:21,666 marking his contribution. 633 00:31:21,733 --> 00:31:26,466 Plasma like Liu's is being used as an experimental therapy 634 00:31:26,533 --> 00:31:28,600 for severely ill patients. 635 00:31:28,666 --> 00:31:33,066 At this point, doctors are desperate for treatments 636 00:31:33,133 --> 00:31:35,366 that will help. 637 00:31:35,433 --> 00:31:37,500 BHADELIA: Emerging infectious diseases are challenging 638 00:31:37,566 --> 00:31:41,400 because we're learning about both the virus and the disease 639 00:31:41,466 --> 00:31:43,000 as we're responding to it. 640 00:31:43,066 --> 00:31:46,433 New evidence is coming out about how this virus is transmitted, 641 00:31:46,500 --> 00:31:48,966 where the virus lives in the human body. 642 00:31:49,033 --> 00:31:52,500 And so we are at a place where we're making medical decisions 643 00:31:52,566 --> 00:31:54,300 on the go as science changes. 644 00:31:55,733 --> 00:31:57,500 NARRATOR: With reports of COVID-19 645 00:31:57,566 --> 00:32:01,133 ravaging hearts, livers, and kidneys, 646 00:32:01,200 --> 00:32:03,466 and causing blood clots and strokes, 647 00:32:03,533 --> 00:32:06,433 the health risks seem worse than ever. 648 00:32:06,500 --> 00:32:12,100 Although severe illness is less common for people under 65, 649 00:32:12,166 --> 00:32:16,600 no one can know for sure how the virus might impact them. 650 00:32:16,666 --> 00:32:19,900 BHADELIA: We're seeing patients of every age walk through the door. 651 00:32:19,966 --> 00:32:24,400 It is a misnomer to say that the young are immune to this. 652 00:32:24,466 --> 00:32:28,966 We constantly see people who are in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 653 00:32:29,033 --> 00:32:32,733 you know, and some who do not have any medical conditions, 654 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:36,833 because it's a brand-new virus, and none of us are immune to it. 655 00:32:36,900 --> 00:32:38,666 ♪ ♪ 656 00:32:38,733 --> 00:32:41,800 NARRATOR: Since no one is immune, could there be a treatment 657 00:32:41,866 --> 00:32:46,266 to reduce the severity of the disease? 658 00:32:46,333 --> 00:32:50,700 That is something Robert Davey at Boston University 659 00:32:50,766 --> 00:32:53,700 is racing to find out. 660 00:32:53,766 --> 00:32:58,366 DAVEY: Our ultimate goal is to have the designer molecule 661 00:32:58,433 --> 00:33:01,000 which will specifically attack the virus 662 00:33:01,066 --> 00:33:02,633 and do nothing to the rest of your body. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 663 00:33:01,066 --> 00:33:02,633 and do nothing to the rest of your body. 664 00:33:02,700 --> 00:33:06,200 Something that stops the virus dead in its tracks 665 00:33:06,266 --> 00:33:10,333 and doesn't affect you in any way whatsoever. 666 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:13,733 NARRATOR: This is a level-four biosafety lab-- 667 00:33:13,800 --> 00:33:16,100 one of only a few in the U.S. 668 00:33:16,166 --> 00:33:19,133 DAVEY: Biosafety level four is when you're in a bubble, 669 00:33:19,200 --> 00:33:22,033 a suit that looks like what the Michelin man has on. 670 00:33:22,100 --> 00:33:25,966 ♪ ♪ 671 00:33:26,033 --> 00:33:28,500 It's inflated by air. 672 00:33:33,100 --> 00:33:35,100 So this is the highest level of protection. 673 00:33:35,166 --> 00:33:37,433 RONALD CORLEY: This is probably the safest place 674 00:33:37,500 --> 00:33:40,533 in the country to be right now. 675 00:33:40,600 --> 00:33:43,600 Any laboratory facility that studies emerging pathogens 676 00:33:43,666 --> 00:33:47,066 is designed around safety and security. 677 00:33:47,133 --> 00:33:49,400 (lock clicks) 678 00:33:49,466 --> 00:33:52,233 NARRATOR: The CDC does not require this level of safety 679 00:33:52,300 --> 00:33:54,166 for the coronavirus. 680 00:33:54,233 --> 00:33:56,633 But it was much more efficient for this lab 681 00:33:56,700 --> 00:33:59,100 to launch research at level four, 682 00:33:59,166 --> 00:34:03,300 because before COVID-19, Davey was studying Ebola. 683 00:34:03,366 --> 00:34:06,833 Now he's testing thousands of drug compounds 684 00:34:06,900 --> 00:34:09,466 that just might be the right shape 685 00:34:09,533 --> 00:34:12,600 to disable this novel coronavirus. 686 00:34:12,666 --> 00:34:15,800 This is what the process looks like. 687 00:34:15,866 --> 00:34:18,733 DAVEY: So we have the plates with the 384 little wells in them 688 00:34:18,800 --> 00:34:22,966 and each one gets cells and drug. 689 00:34:23,033 --> 00:34:26,233 And then we take those plates to the containment lab 690 00:34:26,300 --> 00:34:28,000 and we add virus to all the wells. 691 00:34:28,066 --> 00:34:33,300 NARRATOR: The concoction of human cells, virus, and potential drug 692 00:34:33,366 --> 00:34:37,433 is then set aside to see if the virus will infect the cells 693 00:34:37,500 --> 00:34:40,700 or if the drug will stop it. 694 00:34:42,133 --> 00:34:46,133 Next, Davey analyzes the results. 695 00:34:46,200 --> 00:34:50,333 DAVEY: We put on a dye onto the cell so it's colored. 696 00:34:50,400 --> 00:34:52,633 And every time a cell is infected, 697 00:34:52,700 --> 00:34:55,166 that cell will now glow green. 698 00:34:55,233 --> 00:34:58,433 And you just add them up-- just count up the dots. 699 00:34:58,500 --> 00:34:59,633 ♪ ♪ 700 00:34:59,700 --> 00:35:01,600 NARRATOR: Here, cells glow blue. 701 00:35:01,666 --> 00:35:05,233 But if they become infected, they glow green. 702 00:35:05,300 --> 00:35:10,066 The fewer green cells, the more effective the drug. 703 00:35:10,133 --> 00:35:11,533 DAVEY: And that's how you know 704 00:35:11,600 --> 00:35:13,400 if the drug is working. 705 00:35:13,466 --> 00:35:16,533 ♪ ♪ 706 00:35:16,600 --> 00:35:20,666 I know people who are extremely anxious about the pandemic. 707 00:35:20,733 --> 00:35:23,433 And I also feel that anxiety. 708 00:35:23,500 --> 00:35:26,566 I have two daughters that work in supermarkets. 709 00:35:26,633 --> 00:35:28,600 I worry about them every day. 710 00:35:28,666 --> 00:35:31,066 And I have elderly parents 711 00:35:31,133 --> 00:35:35,100 and I want to make sure they're still here after this. 712 00:35:35,166 --> 00:35:39,866 I'm trying to as quickly as possible get to a treatment, 713 00:35:39,933 --> 00:35:42,566 but I've got to be safe and I've got to be careful 714 00:35:42,633 --> 00:35:44,533 and I've got to do scientific rigor. 715 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,666 ♪ ♪ 716 00:35:46,733 --> 00:35:50,466 NARRATOR: In late April, the N.I.H. announces that preliminary data 717 00:35:50,533 --> 00:35:53,333 from a study of the antiviral drug remdesivir 718 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:56,166 suggests it helps severely ill patients 719 00:35:56,233 --> 00:35:58,733 recover a few days sooner. 720 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,700 Although the results are promising, WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 721 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,700 Although the results are promising, 722 00:36:02,766 --> 00:36:06,200 many believe antiviral drugs alone won't be enough to save us 723 00:36:06,266 --> 00:36:09,133 from the ravages of COVID-19. 724 00:36:10,933 --> 00:36:14,633 LEBOW: For myself and everyone else on the front lines, 725 00:36:14,700 --> 00:36:18,366 we fear every day for our loved ones. 726 00:36:18,433 --> 00:36:20,433 People that I work with are sleeping in their cars 727 00:36:20,500 --> 00:36:23,066 because they're scared to go home to their families. 728 00:36:23,133 --> 00:36:26,033 We're really not going food shopping because we're worried 729 00:36:26,100 --> 00:36:27,266 about giving it to other people. 730 00:36:27,333 --> 00:36:29,966 Thank God for the people that are donating food 731 00:36:30,033 --> 00:36:31,933 to where I work. 732 00:36:33,400 --> 00:36:37,400 BEAL: The health care workers are under a lot of pressure. 733 00:36:37,466 --> 00:36:40,733 They're exhausted, but they're also retraining 734 00:36:40,800 --> 00:36:43,000 to be in a marathon, 735 00:36:43,066 --> 00:36:45,366 so that we can continue this for a long time. 736 00:36:46,466 --> 00:36:48,000 BHADELIA: So how does this end? 737 00:36:48,066 --> 00:36:52,533 This ends with most or all of us being immune to this virus, 738 00:36:52,600 --> 00:36:54,766 and ideally, that's through a vaccine. 739 00:36:54,833 --> 00:36:57,566 It cannot be through all of us getting sick at the same time. 740 00:36:57,633 --> 00:37:02,433 PRIDE: If you just sort of let it run wild in your population, 741 00:37:02,500 --> 00:37:05,666 sure, you'll eventually get to that immunity that you'd like, 742 00:37:05,733 --> 00:37:08,466 but it might take, unfortunately, a million deaths 743 00:37:08,533 --> 00:37:10,633 for you to be able to achieve that. 744 00:37:10,700 --> 00:37:12,900 ♪ ♪ 745 00:37:12,966 --> 00:37:18,300 NARRATOR: The Holy Grail for science is now a vaccine. 746 00:37:18,366 --> 00:37:21,633 ♪ ♪ 747 00:37:21,700 --> 00:37:25,466 In January, once the coronavirus genome was published, 748 00:37:25,533 --> 00:37:29,166 scientists around the world sprang into action. 749 00:37:29,233 --> 00:37:30,500 CORBETT: I set alerts 750 00:37:30,566 --> 00:37:33,066 on all of my mobile devices and my computer. 751 00:37:33,133 --> 00:37:36,900 NARRATOR: N.I.H. immunologist Kizzmekia Corbett 752 00:37:36,966 --> 00:37:39,500 is one of an elite army of scientists 753 00:37:39,566 --> 00:37:41,566 trying to find the perfect formula 754 00:37:41,633 --> 00:37:43,900 for that lifesaving vaccine. 755 00:37:43,966 --> 00:37:45,133 CORBETT: It was a Saturday morning, 756 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:46,800 and now you have 757 00:37:46,866 --> 00:37:48,700 what are considered to be ants in your pants 758 00:37:48,766 --> 00:37:52,466 around getting your experiments started. 759 00:37:52,533 --> 00:37:54,533 ♪ ♪ 760 00:37:54,600 --> 00:37:56,466 NARRATOR: All vaccines have the same goal, 761 00:37:56,533 --> 00:37:59,233 whether they're made from weakened or dead pathogens 762 00:37:59,300 --> 00:38:00,900 or pieces of them. 763 00:38:00,966 --> 00:38:02,433 DAS: Vaccines work 764 00:38:02,500 --> 00:38:07,033 by giving our bodies, and specifically our immune systems, 765 00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:11,400 a preview of what an invading virus would look like. 766 00:38:11,466 --> 00:38:14,400 NARRATOR: The idea is to trick the body 767 00:38:14,466 --> 00:38:17,733 into thinking it's being infected. 768 00:38:17,800 --> 00:38:20,433 CORBETT: Typically and historically what has been done is, 769 00:38:20,500 --> 00:38:26,000 by giving the body just a weakened form of the virus, 770 00:38:26,066 --> 00:38:29,700 so that the body makes an immune response, 771 00:38:29,766 --> 00:38:31,333 but the person doesn't get sick. 772 00:38:31,400 --> 00:38:33,000 ♪ ♪ 773 00:38:33,066 --> 00:38:35,200 NARRATOR: But creating weakened viruses, 774 00:38:35,266 --> 00:38:36,733 like the one used in the measles vaccine, 775 00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:40,600 can take years. 776 00:38:40,666 --> 00:38:43,333 To speed things up, dozens of labs are betting 777 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,400 on revolutionary new approaches to vaccines, 778 00:38:46,466 --> 00:38:50,733 building them with genetic instructions, 779 00:38:50,800 --> 00:38:54,766 sometimes in the form of RNA. 780 00:38:54,833 --> 00:38:59,300 CORBETT: RNA is used by cells day in and day out. 781 00:38:59,366 --> 00:39:03,900 The purpose of RNA is to tell the body WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 782 00:38:59,366 --> 00:39:03,900 The purpose of RNA is to tell the body 783 00:39:03,966 --> 00:39:05,800 what types of proteins to make. 784 00:39:05,866 --> 00:39:10,700 NARRATOR: In this case, an RNA vaccine would tell the body to make 785 00:39:10,766 --> 00:39:13,266 the coronavirus spike protein. 786 00:39:13,333 --> 00:39:16,566 CORBETT: At the end of the day, you're really just calling up the cell 787 00:39:16,633 --> 00:39:19,166 and saying, "Hey, cell, can you make this protein 788 00:39:19,233 --> 00:39:20,700 so my body can make an immune response to it?" 789 00:39:20,766 --> 00:39:24,533 NARRATOR: The hope is that our immune cells 790 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,133 would identify the spike as a foreign threat 791 00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:29,266 and trigger the production of antibodies, 792 00:39:29,333 --> 00:39:32,700 as well as memory cells. 793 00:39:32,766 --> 00:39:35,233 CORBETT: They'll remember that spike protein well enough, 794 00:39:35,300 --> 00:39:37,166 and in so much detail, 795 00:39:37,233 --> 00:39:39,300 that when your body sees that spike protein again, 796 00:39:39,366 --> 00:39:42,800 those memory cells can trigger the body to respond 797 00:39:42,866 --> 00:39:46,733 in a very specific and quick manner 798 00:39:46,800 --> 00:39:48,133 so that you don't get infected. 799 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:50,200 ♪ ♪ 800 00:39:50,266 --> 00:39:53,866 NARRATOR: Many researchers-- including Corbett and Rhiju Das-- 801 00:39:53,933 --> 00:39:58,400 are focusing on RNA for one critical reason. 802 00:39:58,466 --> 00:40:02,433 The advantage of RNA vaccines is that they're super-fast to make, 803 00:40:02,500 --> 00:40:06,733 which is absolutely critical in the current pandemic situation. 804 00:40:07,866 --> 00:40:09,866 NARRATOR: Though this approach is fast, 805 00:40:09,933 --> 00:40:13,833 no one knows if it will actually work. 806 00:40:13,900 --> 00:40:18,100 DAS: There are not yet FDA-approved RNA vaccines 807 00:40:18,166 --> 00:40:19,433 that have gone on the market. 808 00:40:19,500 --> 00:40:23,200 It's still not clear whether these RNA molecules 809 00:40:23,266 --> 00:40:26,433 will be safe to inject into everybody. 810 00:40:26,500 --> 00:40:30,600 NARRATOR: In the past, there have been a few experimental vaccines 811 00:40:30,666 --> 00:40:33,433 which made infections worse. 812 00:40:33,500 --> 00:40:36,600 That's why clinical trials are so important. 813 00:40:38,466 --> 00:40:40,500 In March, just over two months 814 00:40:40,566 --> 00:40:43,766 after the coronavirus genome was released, 815 00:40:43,833 --> 00:40:46,633 volunteers in Washington state started receiving 816 00:40:46,700 --> 00:40:52,900 the experimental RNA vaccine Kizzmekia Corbett helped design. 817 00:40:52,966 --> 00:40:54,700 CORBETT: To get into a phase-one clinical trial 818 00:40:54,766 --> 00:40:59,066 66 days after the sequence of a virus is released 819 00:40:59,133 --> 00:41:03,566 is, you know, a world record; it is incredible. 820 00:41:05,833 --> 00:41:08,933 NARRATOR: But even if an RNA vaccine passes clinical trials 821 00:41:09,000 --> 00:41:10,800 in record time, 822 00:41:10,866 --> 00:41:15,900 there will still be other major hurdles, including shelf life. 823 00:41:15,966 --> 00:41:19,500 DAS: The current RNA vaccines are stable if they're freeze-dried 824 00:41:19,566 --> 00:41:22,000 or kept under ultra-cold temperatures. 825 00:41:22,066 --> 00:41:24,833 NARRATOR: But at room temperature, 826 00:41:24,900 --> 00:41:26,433 or even in a standard 827 00:41:26,500 --> 00:41:28,900 refrigerated shipping container... 828 00:41:28,966 --> 00:41:33,366 DAS: These RNA vaccines, they're gonna decay. 829 00:41:33,433 --> 00:41:36,433 They seem to lose their potency as vaccines 830 00:41:36,500 --> 00:41:37,900 on a timescale of days. 831 00:41:40,133 --> 00:41:42,400 Their expiration date is so short 832 00:41:42,466 --> 00:41:45,333 that they wouldn't be active in the time it takes 833 00:41:45,400 --> 00:41:48,566 to ship them from, say, Newark, New Jersey, to California, 834 00:41:48,633 --> 00:41:50,733 and down to the clinic for me to get the shot. 835 00:41:50,800 --> 00:41:52,866 ♪ ♪ 836 00:41:52,933 --> 00:41:54,800 NARRATOR: That's a problem when the goal 837 00:41:54,866 --> 00:41:57,633 is to manufacture and deliver coronavirus vaccines 838 00:41:57,700 --> 00:42:02,066 to billions of people across the planet. WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 839 00:41:57,700 --> 00:42:02,066 to billions of people across the planet. 840 00:42:02,133 --> 00:42:06,333 To find a solution, Das's team is trying 841 00:42:06,400 --> 00:42:09,033 to custom-design the RNA molecules 842 00:42:09,100 --> 00:42:13,400 so they'll fold into more stable shapes. 843 00:42:13,466 --> 00:42:14,766 DAS: What we're doing here is, 844 00:42:14,833 --> 00:42:18,033 we are designing these RNA vaccines 845 00:42:18,100 --> 00:42:21,800 to fold into little tiny packets. 846 00:42:21,866 --> 00:42:24,166 But we don't know exactly what the right shape is. 847 00:42:25,566 --> 00:42:29,300 NARRATOR: To find the right shape, Das is recruiting help 848 00:42:29,366 --> 00:42:32,166 from an unlikely crew-- 849 00:42:32,233 --> 00:42:34,466 online gamers. 850 00:42:34,533 --> 00:42:36,633 DAS: We're trying to recruit potentially millions of people 851 00:42:36,700 --> 00:42:39,766 to come play a video game. 852 00:42:39,833 --> 00:42:41,833 NARRATOR: Some players' solutions to molecular puzzles 853 00:42:41,900 --> 00:42:46,033 are tested in Das's lab with real RNA. 854 00:42:46,100 --> 00:42:48,533 DAS: And the solutions that they're providing 855 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:50,200 very well could become a medicine 856 00:42:50,266 --> 00:42:53,200 that then is injected into billions of people. 857 00:42:54,866 --> 00:42:59,466 NARRATOR: RNA isn't the only new contender in the vaccine race. 858 00:42:59,533 --> 00:43:01,533 Through here is... 859 00:43:01,600 --> 00:43:04,333 NARRATOR: Dan Barouch's lab has spent years 860 00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:06,466 developing DNA vaccines against H.I.V. 861 00:43:06,533 --> 00:43:10,666 Now his team is applying a similar approach 862 00:43:10,733 --> 00:43:12,033 to the coronavirus-- 863 00:43:12,100 --> 00:43:17,133 creating a DNA vaccine that codes for the spike protein 864 00:43:17,200 --> 00:43:20,200 and relies on a common but powerful helper. 865 00:43:20,266 --> 00:43:25,300 BAROUCH: We inserted the coronavirus spike protein DNA 866 00:43:25,366 --> 00:43:28,000 into a common cold virus. 867 00:43:28,066 --> 00:43:33,266 Common cold viruses are very good at getting into cells. 868 00:43:33,333 --> 00:43:36,333 So we essentially hijack that property 869 00:43:36,400 --> 00:43:37,900 of the common cold virus 870 00:43:37,966 --> 00:43:40,966 and utilize it to help get 871 00:43:41,033 --> 00:43:43,133 the coronavirus spike protein gene 872 00:43:43,200 --> 00:43:44,666 into human cells. 873 00:43:44,733 --> 00:43:47,000 ♪ ♪ 874 00:43:47,066 --> 00:43:50,133 NARRATOR: Barouch hopes that clinical trials of this vaccine 875 00:43:50,200 --> 00:43:51,633 will start in September. 876 00:43:51,700 --> 00:43:56,233 ALTER: There are over three dozen different vaccines 877 00:43:56,300 --> 00:44:02,500 that are moving into preclinical and clinical testing already. 878 00:44:02,566 --> 00:44:04,666 The pace is really inspiring. 879 00:44:04,733 --> 00:44:08,200 We have never seen this for any other pathogen to date, 880 00:44:08,266 --> 00:44:11,266 where so many different vaccine developers 881 00:44:11,333 --> 00:44:13,766 are really ready to go to come up with a solution 882 00:44:13,833 --> 00:44:15,866 to this particular infectious disease. 883 00:44:15,933 --> 00:44:18,500 ♪ ♪ 884 00:44:18,566 --> 00:44:22,800 NARRATOR: Hopes are high that one or more of these vaccines will work 885 00:44:22,866 --> 00:44:25,000 and help end the pandemic. 886 00:44:25,066 --> 00:44:29,800 But testing and manufacturing vaccines can take years, 887 00:44:29,866 --> 00:44:32,466 and there are no guarantees. 888 00:44:32,533 --> 00:44:37,233 Without a vaccine, the main tool we have 889 00:44:37,300 --> 00:44:40,400 is our behavior. 890 00:44:40,466 --> 00:44:45,400 ♪ ♪ 891 00:44:45,466 --> 00:44:48,366 In Wuhan, an unprecedented reopening experiment 892 00:44:48,433 --> 00:44:51,400 officially begins on April 8. 893 00:44:51,466 --> 00:44:56,333 Residents are allowed to travel and move about. 894 00:44:58,200 --> 00:45:00,700 (Qi speaking Chinese) 895 00:45:00,766 --> 00:45:02,900 (translated): Every time I went downstairs to shop for food, WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 896 00:45:00,766 --> 00:45:02,900 (translated): Every time I went downstairs to shop for food, 897 00:45:02,966 --> 00:45:06,066 I noticed there were more and more people outside. 898 00:45:06,133 --> 00:45:08,666 That was a very good sign. 899 00:45:08,733 --> 00:45:11,633 NARRATOR: But it's hardly back to normal. 900 00:45:11,700 --> 00:45:13,866 Fear of a second outbreak runs high, 901 00:45:13,933 --> 00:45:18,866 and many restrictions remain in place. 902 00:45:18,933 --> 00:45:23,400 Anyone entering or leaving a building or public space 903 00:45:23,466 --> 00:45:26,133 is required to use their phone 904 00:45:26,200 --> 00:45:31,300 to scan special location-marking codes. 905 00:45:31,366 --> 00:45:32,866 (Qi speaking Chinese) 906 00:45:32,933 --> 00:45:34,233 The gate of your complex 907 00:45:34,300 --> 00:45:36,733 is the first checkpoint you need to go through 908 00:45:36,800 --> 00:45:39,100 when you try to go out. 909 00:45:39,166 --> 00:45:41,766 Using apps like WeChat or Alipay, 910 00:45:41,833 --> 00:45:44,333 you scan the QR code and tell the app 911 00:45:44,400 --> 00:45:47,766 if you are entering or exiting. 912 00:45:47,833 --> 00:45:52,400 The system records your location automatically. 913 00:45:52,466 --> 00:45:57,100 Based on your current health condition, you're given a code. 914 00:45:57,166 --> 00:46:00,266 Anyone with a green code is allowed to leave freely, 915 00:46:00,333 --> 00:46:02,633 but if you have a yellow or red code, 916 00:46:02,700 --> 00:46:04,666 which means you've had contact with someone infected-- 917 00:46:04,733 --> 00:46:07,400 or you're infected-- 918 00:46:07,466 --> 00:46:09,533 you can't go anywhere. 919 00:46:09,600 --> 00:46:12,333 NARRATOR: At the same time, monitors take body temperatures 920 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:14,733 at each access point. 921 00:46:14,800 --> 00:46:16,833 These measures have been introduced 922 00:46:16,900 --> 00:46:19,100 to squash new outbreaks. 923 00:46:19,166 --> 00:46:20,733 They track each person's movements 924 00:46:20,800 --> 00:46:23,200 in order to alert them later 925 00:46:23,266 --> 00:46:28,233 if it turns out they were exposed to the virus. 926 00:46:28,300 --> 00:46:30,533 If someone who was in the same place 927 00:46:30,600 --> 00:46:31,866   at the same time as you 928 00:46:31,933 --> 00:46:33,100 is diagnosed later, 929 00:46:33,166 --> 00:46:34,400 you'll get a notice immediately. 930 00:46:34,466 --> 00:46:35,833 Then your status becomes yellow, 931 00:46:35,900 --> 00:46:40,266 and you have to isolate yourself at home for a while. 932 00:46:40,333 --> 00:46:44,700 NARRATOR: In that instance, the person notified is flagged, 933 00:46:44,766 --> 00:46:46,800 and if they try to scan into a public place 934 00:46:46,866 --> 00:46:50,000 during the next seven days, 935 00:46:50,066 --> 00:46:52,400 they will be denied entry. 936 00:46:55,100 --> 00:46:58,566 QI: It's all very strict now, but it's for our safety. 937 00:46:58,633 --> 00:47:00,466 ♪ ♪ 938 00:47:00,533 --> 00:47:04,966 NARRATOR: And after being very sick, scared, 939 00:47:05,033 --> 00:47:06,366 and locked down for weeks, 940 00:47:06,433 --> 00:47:12,233 Liu is relieved to be out and about, 941 00:47:12,300 --> 00:47:13,900 no matter what the restrictions, 942 00:47:13,966 --> 00:47:16,166 just grateful to be healthy. 943 00:47:16,233 --> 00:47:19,566 ♪ ♪ 944 00:47:19,633 --> 00:47:21,733 I want to say one more thing. 945 00:47:21,800 --> 00:47:26,100 This outbreak really taught me something. 946 00:47:26,166 --> 00:47:28,033 People are precious. 947 00:47:28,100 --> 00:47:33,066 (in English): Cherish everything you have, be kind to everyone you met. 948 00:47:34,133 --> 00:47:38,266 ♪ ♪ 949 00:47:38,333 --> 00:47:40,800 NARRATOR: Months after the initial outbreak, 950 00:47:40,866 --> 00:47:44,800 the true origin of the virus is still unknown. 951 00:47:44,866 --> 00:47:49,100 Wuhan has dramatically reduced the rate of infection, 952 00:47:49,166 --> 00:47:53,700 though the virus still remains. 953 00:47:53,766 --> 00:47:55,733 REPORTER: Today in Wuhan, China, 954 00:47:55,800 --> 00:47:58,400 the city at the epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, 955 00:47:58,466 --> 00:48:00,466 it's reporting its first new case 956 00:48:00,533 --> 00:48:01,500 in more than a month. 957 00:48:01,566 --> 00:48:04,700 NARRATOR: So far, China's approach WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 958 00:48:01,566 --> 00:48:04,700 NARRATOR: So far, China's approach 959 00:48:04,766 --> 00:48:08,033 appears to be slowing the spread. 960 00:48:10,266 --> 00:48:13,133 (people talking in background) 961 00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:16,600 Back in the U.S., as COVID infections continue to rise, 962 00:48:16,666 --> 00:48:20,900 pressure mounts to reopen the economy. 963 00:48:20,966 --> 00:48:23,900 But are we willing to go as far as China 964 00:48:23,966 --> 00:48:26,200 to prevent new waves of infection, 965 00:48:26,266 --> 00:48:30,466 which some experts say are inevitable? 966 00:48:30,533 --> 00:48:32,666 ♪ ♪ 967 00:48:32,733 --> 00:48:35,300 Or will data collection to track the virus 968 00:48:35,366 --> 00:48:40,766 face a backlash over privacy concerns? 969 00:48:40,833 --> 00:48:42,733 We have never seen a Silicon Valley product launch 970 00:48:42,800 --> 00:48:44,866 quite like the one on Friday. 971 00:48:44,933 --> 00:48:50,300 NARRATOR: In response, Google and Apple have developed new software 972 00:48:50,366 --> 00:48:52,400 that anonymously tracks COVID exposures. 973 00:48:52,466 --> 00:48:53,966 They are teaming up to create 974 00:48:54,033 --> 00:48:57,633 voluntary coronavirus tracing and tracking software. 975 00:48:57,700 --> 00:48:59,833 (tone pings) 976 00:48:59,900 --> 00:49:01,366 NARRATOR: It allows a user's phone 977 00:49:01,433 --> 00:49:06,566 to broadcast changing codes to phones nearby. 978 00:49:06,633 --> 00:49:09,966 If a person is later diagnosed with COVID-19, 979 00:49:10,033 --> 00:49:13,666 everyone using the software who was in close proximity 980 00:49:13,733 --> 00:49:15,566 in the previous two weeks 981 00:49:15,633 --> 00:49:19,266 is notified that they've been exposed. 982 00:49:19,333 --> 00:49:23,033 No one's identity is revealed. 983 00:49:24,933 --> 00:49:30,333 It's a voluntary program that could slow the spread. 984 00:49:30,400 --> 00:49:32,500 But many experts agree 985 00:49:32,566 --> 00:49:37,566 this tiny virus remains an enormous threat. 986 00:49:37,633 --> 00:49:43,466 So, until we have effective treatments and vaccines, 987 00:49:43,533 --> 00:49:46,900 how do we stay safe? 988 00:49:46,966 --> 00:49:52,600 ♪ ♪ 989 00:49:52,666 --> 00:49:54,800 BHADELIA: Lifting the lockdown is not the end. 990 00:49:54,866 --> 00:49:58,466 It doesn't mean we go back to normal. 991 00:49:58,533 --> 00:50:01,200 It means that our lives are altered, 992 00:50:01,266 --> 00:50:04,700 at least in the medium term, and potentially forever. 993 00:50:06,700 --> 00:50:08,900 OSTERHOLM: What we have to figure out is, how do we get back 994 00:50:08,966 --> 00:50:11,566 into not being in total lockdown, 995 00:50:11,633 --> 00:50:12,933 but at the same time, 996 00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:16,500 minimizing the impact that this virus might have? 997 00:50:18,033 --> 00:50:20,266 But it's not going to be easy. 998 00:50:20,333 --> 00:50:23,233 Hello! Hello! 999 00:50:23,300 --> 00:50:26,166 ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ 1000 00:50:26,233 --> 00:50:30,233 ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ 1001 00:50:30,300 --> 00:50:32,433 BHADELIA: One of the hardest parts of this disease 1002 00:50:32,500 --> 00:50:36,966 is how we are so separated from each other. 1003 00:50:37,033 --> 00:50:41,166 ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪ 1004 00:50:41,233 --> 00:50:43,433   (cheering and applauding) 1005 00:50:43,500 --> 00:50:45,500 BHADELIA: And I think it underscores for me the importance 1006 00:50:45,566 --> 00:50:47,566 that it's not social distancing-- 1007 00:50:47,633 --> 00:50:51,733 it's physical distancing and social cohesion. 1008 00:50:51,800 --> 00:50:55,466 We still have to connect with each other. 1009 00:50:55,533 --> 00:50:57,233 And pandemics like COVID-19 1010 00:50:57,300 --> 00:50:59,100 tell us how interdependent we are on each other. 1011 00:50:59,166 --> 00:51:02,600 Truly, an outbreak anywhere is an outbreak everywhere, WEBVTT X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:198018, LOCAL:00:00:00.000 1012 00:50:59,166 --> 00:51:02,600 Truly, an outbreak anywhere is an outbreak everywhere, 1013 00:51:02,666 --> 00:51:05,933 because we are connected. 1014 00:51:06,000 --> 00:51:09,933 Every part of the world is about two flights away. 1015 00:51:10,000 --> 00:51:11,733 (airplane engine roars) 1016 00:51:15,766 --> 00:51:19,200 DAS: The pandemic has crystalized a sense of purpose for us. 1017 00:51:19,266 --> 00:51:24,366 We're at a point where really every day counts. 1018 00:51:24,433 --> 00:51:26,333 It's a horrible situation to be in, 1019 00:51:26,400 --> 00:51:27,566 but the technologies 1020 00:51:27,633 --> 00:51:29,166 that we can develop against the coronavirus, 1021 00:51:29,233 --> 00:51:30,766 we'll be able to deploy it 1022 00:51:30,833 --> 00:51:34,266 hopefully to prevent any future pandemic. 1023 00:51:34,333 --> 00:51:35,966 (sirens wailing) 1024 00:51:36,033 --> 00:51:37,566 OSTERHOLM: And it's our legacy. 1025 00:51:37,633 --> 00:51:40,166 It's not just how we get through the pandemic, 1026 00:51:40,233 --> 00:51:44,066 but what we do about it afterwards. 1027 00:51:44,133 --> 00:51:47,633 We can't let this happen again. 1028 00:51:47,700 --> 00:51:51,800 And to me, this is like a moonshot. 1029 00:51:51,866 --> 00:51:54,900 Imagine one day, if we could take away the threat 1030 00:51:54,966 --> 00:51:57,100 of these kinds of pandemics from happening again. 1031 00:51:57,166 --> 00:52:00,233 That would be a gift to our, our kids and grandkids, 1032 00:52:00,300 --> 00:52:02,166 second to none. 1033 00:52:02,233 --> 00:52:05,366 ♪ ♪ 1034 00:52:20,433 --> 00:52:22,733 ANNOUNCER: Major funding for "NOVA" is provided by the following: 1035 00:52:40,100 --> 00:52:44,366 ♪ ♪ 1036 00:52:55,733 --> 00:52:58,733 This program is available with PBS Passport 1037 00:52:58,800 --> 00:53:01,866 and on Amazon Prime Video. 1038 00:53:04,300 --> 00:53:08,700 ♪ ♪ 1039 00:53:21,400 --> 00:53:26,266 ♪ ♪