These things are more difficult than [ identifying ] dinosaurs, because there's no fossil record of a virus, for example, the main virus I study, human metapneumovirus, is clearly a virus that has circulated in humans for decades if not a few centuries.

John Williams

More Quotes by John Williams
More Quotes From John Williams

So usually if a virus goes from an animal to a human, it's sort of dead end. That person gets sick but it doesn't spread further.

John Williams

SARS caused death in about 10 % of people that became infected and it did spread person to person but not super effectively, there weren't many people walking around without symptoms or with mild symptoms, who could be spreading it.How do you manage fighting kids during a lockdown ? We asked the experts.

John Williams

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome is extremely deadly, about 30 % of people who are infected with Middle East Respiratory Syndrome will die, so the virus got over one of the barriers -- it's able to infect humans, grow in them and cause disease -- but thankfully it really doesn't spread well person to person, other than very, very close contacts.

John Williams