<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The coronavirus pandemic has upended normal life across the world.&nbsp;” data-reactid=”16″>The coronavirus pandemic has upended normal life across the world. 

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="There are over 1 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., which is the global leader in case count. Worldwide, there are over 3 million cases.&nbsp;And for many doctors, the coronavirus and its impacts are like nothing they’ve ever seen before.” data-reactid=”17″>There are over 1 million cases of COVID-19 in the U.S., which is the global leader in case count. Worldwide, there are over 3 million cases. And for many doctors, the coronavirus and its impacts are like nothing they’ve ever seen before.

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="“I’ve been studying viruses since 1978,” Dr. James Hildreth, Meharry Medical College CEO and an infectious disease expert based out of Nashville, told Yahoo Finance’s On the Move this week (video above). “And I think it’s fair to say we’ve not encountered a virus quite like this, just because of the broad range of tissue types in our body it infects.”” data-reactid=”18″>“I’ve been studying viruses since 1978,” Dr. James Hildreth, Meharry Medical College CEO and an infectious disease expert based out of Nashville, told Yahoo Finance’s On the Move this week (video above). “And I think it’s fair to say we’ve not encountered a virus quite like this, just because of the broad range of tissue types in our body it infects.”

The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)
The U.S. has the highest number of coronavirus cases in the world. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The coronavirus creates the infection known as COVID-19. The virus spreads through viral droplets from a cough or sneeze, which can travel into someone else’s mouth, nose, or eyes. From there, according to WebMD, it travels through the nasal passage to the mucous membranes in your throat and latches on.&nbsp;” data-reactid=”30″>The coronavirus creates the infection known as COVID-19. The virus spreads through viral droplets from a cough or sneeze, which can travel into someone else’s mouth, nose, or eyes. From there, according to WebMD, it travels through the nasal passage to the mucous membranes in your throat and latches on. 

Within two to 14 days, a person can start showing symptoms, which include fever, cough, chills, fatigue, and shortness of breath. As the virus moves through the respiratory tract, it can inflame the lungs, causing breathing difficulties and leading to pneumonia. 

“So anyone who has a compromised immune system, or their lungs are compromised in any way, they’re going to have really poor outcomes,” Hildreth explained. 

PORTERVILLE, UNITED STATES - APRIL 27, 2020: Jerry Hogan, a Vietnam Veteran, lies on a bed at Lindsey Gardens after testing positive for COVID-19/Coronavirus, a week earlier Hogan had been in the hospital, where he had pneumonia unrelated to Coronavirus, and had tested negative, when he was sent to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation, then there was an outbreak at the facility where he then tested positive a few days later.- PHOTOGRAPH BY Jeremy Hogan / Echoes Wire/ Barcroft Studios / Future Publishing (Photo credit should read Jeremy Hogan / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)PORTERVILLE, UNITED STATES - APRIL 27, 2020: Jerry Hogan, a Vietnam Veteran, lies on a bed at Lindsey Gardens after testing positive for COVID-19/Coronavirus, a week earlier Hogan had been in the hospital, where he had pneumonia unrelated to Coronavirus, and had tested negative, when he was sent to a skilled nursing facility for rehabilitation, then there was an outbreak at the facility where he then tested positive a few days later.- PHOTOGRAPH BY Jeremy Hogan / Echoes Wire/ Barcroft Studios / Future Publishing (Photo credit should read Jeremy Hogan / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)
Jerry Hogan, a Vietnam Veteran, lies on a bed at Lindsey Gardens after testing positive for COVID-19/Coronavirus. (Photo by Jeremy Hogan / Echoes Wire/Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

‘Really severe lung disease’

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="The CDC has stated that those over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions are most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19.&nbsp;” data-reactid=”45″>The CDC has stated that those over the age of 65 and those with underlying health conditions are most at risk for severe illness from COVID-19. 

The people with underlying health conditions at risk can be of any age. Those with asthma, chronic lung disease, heart conditions, obesity, diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, and those who are otherwise immunocompromised are especially vulnerable. 

Over 3 million people around the world have been infected with coronavirus. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)Over 3 million people around the world have been infected with coronavirus. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)
Over 3 million people around the world have been infected with coronavirus. (Graphic: David Foster/Yahoo Finance)

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="“It shuts down kidneys,” Hildreth said. “As you’ve heard, it’s starting to cause blood clots in young people in their 30s and 40s who are dying of strokes. It causes really severe lung disease. And it also triggers something called a cytokine storm, in which the immune system gets over exuberant and begins to destroy not just the virus, but the tissues around the virus.”&nbsp;” data-reactid=”58″>“It shuts down kidneys,” Hildreth said. “As you’ve heard, it’s starting to cause blood clots in young people in their 30s and 40s who are dying of strokes. It causes really severe lung disease. And it also triggers something called a cytokine storm, in which the immune system gets over exuberant and begins to destroy not just the virus, but the tissues around the virus.” 

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Blood clotting is a newer complication that doctors have noticed in COVID-19 patients. A 41-year-old Broadway actor named Nick Cordero, who has been in a medically-induced coma for over a month because of the virus, had his leg amputated after developing a clot.&nbsp;” data-reactid=”63″>Blood clotting is a newer complication that doctors have noticed in COVID-19 patients. A 41-year-old Broadway actor named Nick Cordero, who has been in a medically-induced coma for over a month because of the virus, had his leg amputated after developing a clot. 

NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 27: Medical workers transport a patient outside of a special coronavirus intake area at Maimonides Medical Center on April 27, 2020 in the Borough Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Hospitals in New York City, which have been especially hard hit by the coronavirus, are just beginning to see a downturn in COVID-19 cases (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 27: Medical workers transport a patient outside of a special coronavirus intake area at Maimonides Medical Center on April 27, 2020 in the Borough Park neighborhood of the Brooklyn borough of New York City. Hospitals in New York City, which have been especially hard hit by the coronavirus, are just beginning to see a downturn in COVID-19 cases (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Medical workers transport a patient outside of a special coronavirus intake area at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

“We do need to find something that can slow the virus down until we have a vaccine,” Hildreth said. “But it’s fair to say that of all the viruses that I’m aware that I’ve studied or been involved with, this one is very different, just in terms of the huge range of things that it does to the body.”

“It really is an extraordinary challenge, and like none we’ve seen before,” he added. “But I’m really heartened by the fact that scientists all over the world have focused their attention on it. And so, I’m confident that we’re going to find some solutions in the coming months.”

<p class="canvas-atom canvas-text Mb(1.0em) Mb(0)–sm Mt(0.8em)–sm" type="text" content="Adriana is a reporter and editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter&nbsp;@adrianambells.” data-reactid=”77″>Adriana is a reporter and editor for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells.

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