FOR SEVEN HOSPITALS DURING THE
PEAK VIRUS OUTBREAK AND IS PART
OF THE TEAM THAT PERFORMED
AUTOPSIES ON COVID PATIENTS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR BEING
WITH US.
JUST TO MAKE IT VERY CLEAR WHY
YOU’RE HERE, WE LEARN ABOUT HOW
VIRUSES ATTACK THE BODIES FROM
AUTOPSIES.
SO WHEN YOU ARE DOING, WHEN YOU
WERE DOING THE AUTOPSIES ON
THESE COVID PATIENTS, THESE
COVID BODIES, WHAT DID YOU LEARN
ABOUT THIS VIRUS?
>> WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DOING
THE AUTOPSIES, WE KNEW VERY
LITTLE ABOUT THE VIRUS.
AND SO WE KNEW THAT THE LUNGS
WERE GOING TO BE A PROBLEM AND
WE IDENTIFIED SEVERE LUNG DAMAGE
IN PRETTY MUCH ALL THE CASES.
BUT WE DID NOT KNOW A LOT ABOUT
WHAT WE WERE GOING TO FIND.
SO WE KNEW SOME PATIENTS WERE
HAVING PROBLEMS WITH CONFUSION,
WITH LOSS OF SENSE OF SMELL, AND
WE LOOKED AT THE NERVES AND THE,
IT IS CALLED THE OLFACTORY BULB
THAT ALLOWS TO YOU SMELL AND WE
DIDN’T SEE MUCH INVOLVING THAT
AREA.
HOWEVER, SOME OF THE TISSUE THAT
WE GOT FROM THE BRAIN OVER LYING
THE NOSE, OVERLYING THE
OLFACTORY BULB AND OUR SENSE OF
SMELL DID SHOW VIRUS.
AND THE VIRUS WAS PRESENT IN
SOME OF THE BLOOD VESSELS OF THE
BRAIN.
WE ALSO IDENTIFIED VIRUS WITHIN
THE BRAIN ITSELF.
SO THAT WAS INTRIGUING BECAUSE
IT INDICATED THAT THE VIRUS WAS
PRESENT IN THE BLOOD VESSELS.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE BLOOD
VESSELS CONTAIN SOME, SOME AT
LEAST, CONTAIN THE ACE 2
RECEPTOR.
THAT’S USED BY THE VIRUS TO
ENTER THE CELLS.
SO THE STUDIES FROM THE
AUTOPSIES HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
IDENTIFY AREAS OF THE BODY THAT
MAY BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO VIRAL
ATTACK.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE IS AN
INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE PRODUCED
BY THE BODY BECAUSE OF THE
VIRUS.
THERE IS A CHEMICAL REACTION
BASICALLY TO THE VIRUS.
BUT TRYING TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE
CHANGES ARE IN THE ORGANS IS
REALLY IMPORTANT.
SO THE BRAIN, THE LUNGS, THE
KIDNEY, THE LIVER, THE SPLEEN,
THE LYMPH NODES, THOSE ORGANS,
WE ALSO LOOKED AT.
WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO IDENTIFY
THE VIRUS IN LYMPH NODES, SPLEEN
AND KIDNEY.
BUT WE’RE NOT SEEING THE
INFLAMMATION LIKE WE DO IN THE
LUNGS IN THE OTHER ORGANS.
SO THERE IS STILL A LOT GOING ON
THAT WE NEED TO KNOW AND
AUTOPSIES ARE CRITICALLY
IMPORTANT TO IDENTIFY MORE ABOUT
THIS VIRUS.
WE ONLY DID ABOUT 5% OF THE
COVID DEATHS AS AUTOPSIES.
SO WE’RE ONLY GETTING A VERY
SMALL PICTURE ABOUT WHAT THIS
VIRUS ACTUALLY IS ABLE TO DO.
AND BY DOING MORE AUTOPSIES, WE
WILL BE ABLE TO GET A BETTER
HANDLE ON HOW THIS VIRUS IS
CAUSING PROBLEMS AND POTENTIALLY
HOW TO TREAT IT.
>> WHAT DID IT TELL YOU ABOUT
SYMPTOMS AND HOW WE CAN BETTER
IDENTIFY THOSE WHO HAVE COVID,
WHO MIGHT NOT HAVE THE TELLTALE
SIGNS LIKE A FEVER OR A REALLY
BAD COUGH?
>> SO OBVIOUSLY, TREATING A
PATIENT WHEN THEY’RE NOT
TERRIBLY SICK IS MOST IMPORTANT.
THIS VIRUS IS STILL VERY LOT OF
TYPICAL CHANGES THAT WE EXPECT
TO SEE FROM A VIRUS.
A LOT OF THE TIMES WHEN YOU HAVE
A VIRAL INFECTION INVOLVING THE
BRAIN, YOU SEE A LOT OF
INFLAMMATION.
AND WE’RE NOT SEEING A LOT OF
INFLAMMATION.
BUT WE ARE SEEING SMALL STROKES.
THE SMALL STROKES DON’T EXPLAIN
A LOT OF THE CLINICAL SYMPTOMS.
SO I THINK THERE’S SOMETHING
ELSE GOING ON.
THE SMALL STROKES DON’T EXPLAIN
THE LOSS OF SENSE OF SMELL.
SO THERE IS MORE TO BE UNCOVERED
WITH THIS DISEASE.
BUT THE MORE THAT WE LOOK AT THE
TISSUES, THE MORE THAT WE DO THE