5 May — Paltry historical funding for coronavirus-related research

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for research related to coronaviruses constituted just 0.5% of global spending on infectious-disease research by public and philanthropic organizations. From 2000 to the start of this year, these organizations spent about US$550 million on coronavirus research, according to an analysis by researchers at the University of Southampton, UK. By comparison, Ebola-related research received $1.2 billion (1.1%).

Spending has risen to $948 million since the current outbreak began. About $275 million of COVID-19 research funding is focused on vaccine development; $40 million on therapeutics and $18 million on diagnostic tests. The researchers note that the spending has generally been reactive — explaining spikes in 2004 and 2015, after outbreaks of the coronaviruses that cause the diseases SARS and MERS, respectively.

5 May — How the coronavirus breaks into human cells

Researchers are scrambling to uncover as much as possible about the biology of the latest coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2 — and a profile of the killer is emerging . Scientists are learning that the virus has evolved an array of adaptations that make it much more lethal than the other coronaviruses humanity has met so far. Unlike close relatives, SARS-CoV-2 can readily attack human cells at multiple points, with the lungs and the throat being the main targets (see chart). Read more about the complex biology of this killer virus here .

5 May — Which country had the strictest coronavirus response?

Nations have responded in vastly different ways to the coronavirus pandemic, and researchers are now sifting through data to work out which strategies — from face masks to lockdowns — worked best. Scientists with the Oxford Coronavirus Government Response Tracker project have developed a ‘stringency index’ that scores a nation’s strategy based on how strict it is, and allows approaches to be compared directly (see chart). Read more about efforts to track the most effective strategies against COVID-19 here .