How does coronavirus attack your body? | COVID-19 Special

Most infected people, around 80 percent, will have mild symptoms which disappear after a few days. But coronaviruses can multiply fast... spreading from the throat to the lungs. And that's how they can infect lung cells until pneumonia sets in. The body is supplied by oxygen via the lungs - entering the bloodstream via the alveoli to the blood vessels. And then it is distributed to the rest of the body.

 Complications can occur when the coronaviruses settle in the space between the pulmonary alveoli and the blood vessels. That can cause inflammation. The distance to the blood vessels then becomes greater and oxygen intake more difficult. When organs are deprived of oxygene, breathing is labored. And then respiratory muscles are quickly exhausted, especially in the elderly. That's when the lungs need help - with a ventilator. But that can't prevent the situation from worsening in some cases.

 Inflammation in the lungs increasingly hinders gas exchange. Water escapes from the cells. Even with the support, not enough oxygen enters the body. Then an external machine must take over the function of the lungs. The so-called "Emco" enriches the blood outside the body with oxygen and then returns it into the body - but not without complications. But the situation can escalate even further.The immune system then becomes the main problem - triggering a massive inflammation as a reaction. Progression to severe cases now less common than during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. This could be due to mask usage...it may contribute to a smaller amount of the infection in the air - making the disease less deadly. Defensive compounds flood the entire body. Immune cells attack the inner walls of blood vessels. They become weak. Fluid leaks into the tissue and is deficient in the cirulatory system. The organs are no longer sufficiently supplied with blood.

 But most COVID cases are mild. The recuperating phase can cause some concentration problems, exhaustion, and muscular weakness. But this is not more severe than other infections. It could be that the virus moves through the nervous system of people it infects. That's what new research suggests.