#8 COVIDCalls 3.25.2020 – Tests, Treatments, & Vaccines with Adam Rogers

What is the timeline of the virus up to late March 2020, and what might the timeline to “normalcy” look like? What are the most promising treatments and what are their historical precedents? Adam Rogers, a science journalist at WIRED Magazine, discusses the science and possibilities of serological testing to improve understanding and surveillance of the virus. Rogers explains the potentials of treatments derived from the blood of COVID-19 survivors, such as serum, convalescent plasma, and monoclonal antibodies. In addition, he helps us understand a rough timeline of the virus as of late March 2020, from its discovery in China in late 2019, to the creation of the first diagnostic tests in the U.S. and forward to the possibility of rapid diagnostic testing, therapeutics, and even vaccines. Rogers also discusses Silicon Valley, the re-emergent “cult of the inventor,” and the role tech can and can’t play in the pandemic. For further reading: Blood from COVID-19 Survivors May Point the Way to a Cure Elon Musk says Tesla is working on ventilators for coronavirus patients but doubts there will be a shortage