After the coronavirus enters the host cell, it begins making copies of itself. The host cell then undergoes a process called apoptosis, or programmed cell death, allowing millions of copies of the virus to be released. The host cell breaks down and dies and the new viral particles go on to infect new healthy cells.

In some cases, viruses produce proteins called “inhibitors”, which prevent the host cell from dying. This allows the virus to maximize the use of the host cell and make as many copies as possible before destroying it.

In other cases, the host cell captures a small fragment of the virus and sends it to the surface. The fragment is presented on the surface of the cell like a flag. It alerts nearby immune cells that the host cell has been compromised and that here is a virus at work inside. The immune cells then rush into the infected cell to screen it. If it turns out that the virus is indeed inside, they begin to destroy it, thus preventing more cells from getting infected by the virus...