THE NOVEL CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK
AND THE STATUS OF WISCONSIN
CASES.
AS OF TODAY, THERE REMAINS JUST
ONE POSITIVE TEST RESULT IN THE
STATE.
THAT PERSON HAS BEEN RECOVERING
AT HOME.
14 OTHER CASES PENDING FOR TEST
OUTCOMES HAVE COME BACK
NEGATIVE.
THIS WEEK UW-MADISON ANNOUNCED
SCIENTISTS ON CAMPUS WILL BE AT
THE LEADING EDGE OF RESEARCH TO
UNDERSTAND THE NEW VIRUS.
A SAMPLE OF THE CORONAVIRUS
BEING USED CAME FROM THE UW
HOSPITAL WHERE THE DANE COUNTY
PATIENT WHO TESTED POSITIVE WAS
SEEN.
THOMAS FRIEDRICH IS A PROFESSOR
AT THE UW SCHOOL OF VETERINARIAN
MEDICINE.
HE JOINS US NOW.
THANKS FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
>> I READ AND SEE THAT THE
DISEASE IS NOW BEING CALLED
COVID-19.
WHY IS THAT?
>> SO THE VIRUS NEEDS A NAME.
COVID-19 STANDS FOR CORONAVIRUS
DISEASE, 2019.
JUST A FEW DAYS AGO, THE GLOBAL
RESEARCH COMMUNITY DECIDED THAT
THAT'S THE NAME WE SHOULD CALL
IT.
>> I THOUGHT IT WAS MUCH MORE
SCIENTIFIC THAN THAT.
WHAT IN PARTICULAR ARE YOU
LOOKING TO FIND OUT ABOUT THIS?
>> WEMENT WE WANT TO KNOW WHY THESE
SORT OF EVENTS HAPPEN.
ABOUT 75% OF MAJOR HUMAN
INFECTIOUS DISEASES COME
ORIGINALLY FROM ANIMALS, LIKE
THIS VIRUS IS THOUGHT TO DO, BUT
THERE ARE MILLIONS OF VIRUSES
AND PARA SITES INFECTING ANIMALS
THAT NEVER BECOME MAJOR HUMAN
DISEASES.
SO WE LIKE TO UNDERSTAND HOW IT
CAME TO BE.
>> AND WHAT IS THE END GOAL THEN
OF THAT RESEARCH?
>> SO THE END GOAL IS TO
UNDERSTAND HOW VIRUSES EVOLVE
AND THE PATHWAYS THEY NEED TO
TAKE TO GET FROM ANIMALS TO
HUMANS AND THEN BECOME SOMETHING
THAT CAN BE TRANSMITTED FROM ONE
HUMAN TO ANOTHER.
THEY HAVE TO OVERCOME A LOT OF
EVOLUTIONARY BARRIERS TO DO THAT
AND I THINK THAT THE MORE
EXAMPLES WE HAVE OF PATHOGENS
THAT DO THIS, THE BETTER WE CAN
DEFINE WHAT THOSE BARRIERS ARE
AND HOW THEY OVERCOME THEM AND
THEN WE CAN FIGURE OUT HOPEFULLY
HOW TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING.
>> HOW WELL-POISED IS U.S.
MADISON TO REALLY CRACK THIS
CASE FOR THE REST OF THE WORLD
ON THIS AND OTHER KIND OF
EMERGING ILLNESSES?
>> I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO
UNDERSCORE THAT THIS IS TRULY A
GLOBAL EFFORT, THAT THERE ARE SO
MANY PIECES TO THE PUZZLE THAT
NO ONE TEAM IS LIKELY GOING TO
BE ABLE TO CRACK THE CASE FOR
EVERYONE.
SO I THINK WE ALL ARE TRYING TO
CONTRIBUTE IN THE WAY THAT WE
CAN.
ONE OF THE MAIN THINGS THAT THE
GROUP I'M WORKING WITH IS TRYING
TO DO IS GET RESEARCHERS TO BE
MORE OPEN ABOUT THE DATA THAT
THEY ARE GENERATING.
SO IN A TIME LIKE THIS, IT'S
DIFFICULT TO KNOW EVEN THE MOST
BASIC THINGS ABOUT THE BIOLOGY
OF THE NEW VIRUS AND THE
DECISIONS THAT ARE MADE IN
LABORATORIES AROUND THE WORLD AS
WE START TO STUDY THESE VIRUSES
WILL AFFECT HOW WELL AND HOW
QUICKLY WE CAN HAVE ANSWERS TO
IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW
THE VIRUS GROWS AND WHAT CELLS
IT INFECTS AND HOW IT'S
TRANSMITTED AND SO FORTH.
AND ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
THINGS I THINK IS THAT EARLY ON
THERE MAY BE FAILURES IN
RESEARCH.
SO WE MAY TRY SOMETHING IN OUR
LAB AND IT DOESN'T WORK.
AND THERE'S REALLY TRADITIONALLY
NOT A GOOD MECHANISM TO
COMMUNICATE THAT TO THE OUTSIDE
WORLD.
OR IF WE FIND SOMETHING AND IT
DOES WORK, THERE'S NOT A GOOD
WAY TO MAKE THAT INFORMATION
AVAILABLE RAPIDLY.
SO WE'RE TRYING TO SHARE OUR
DATA AS QUICKLY AS WE GET IT SO
OTHER GROUPS AROUND THE WORLD
CAN BUILD ON OUR SUCCESSES OR
LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES.
>> IS IT TRUE THAT OTHER
RESEARCHERS, SCIENTISTS ACROSS
THE WORLD, PERHAPS AREN'T BEING
AS OPEN AS YOUR TEAM WOULD LIKE
TO SEE?
>> I THINK THAT PEOPLE ARE
NATURALLY CAUTIOUS.
SO, NOW RESEARCH IS A HUMAN
ENTERPRISE AND SOMETIMES WE MAKE
MISTAKES.
SOMETIMES WE MAY JUMP TO
CONCLUSIONS BASED ON A FEW
INITIAL FINDINGS AND THOSE DON'T
PAN OUT.
AND SO I THINK PEOPLE ARE WARY,
ESPECIALLY IN A VERY POLITICALLY
CHARGED SITUATION WHERE THERE'S
A LOT OF CONCERN AND WORRY THAT
IF THEY INTERPRET THEIR FIRST
FEW FINDINGS INCORRECTLY, THAT
THAT MAY UNNECESSARILY WORRY
SOMEONE.
OR THAT IT MAY UNNECESSARILY
CALM THINGS.
AND SO I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN.
BUT I THINK THE NEED TO RAPIDLY
STAND UP, RESEARCH ENTERPRISE OF
THIS SIZE, MAKES IT IMPORTANT
THAT WE ARE TRANSPARENT.
>> LRT.
WE NEED TO L