Photo/Illutration An electron microscope image of the new coronavirus isolated by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (Provided by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases)

These days, I often encounter cartoonish illustrations of the novel coronavirus that's causing COVID-19.

At pharmacies around Japan, the virus is commonly depicted as a scarlet ring with malevolent eyes. In manga, it's a man in dark glasses with a sinister grin.

But what does the real virus look like and what are its characteristics?

I visited Makoto Ujike, 44, an associate professor at Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University (NVLU), to find out.

"In our profession, schematic diagrams are used to represent viruses," Ujike said. He went on to make a quick sketch, explaining, "This is roughly what the coronavirus looks like."

What he showed me was a circle surrounded by numerous corona-shaped spikes--hence the name "coronavirus." Inside the circle was the letter Z, which stood for the virus's genes.

The novel coronavirus is not necessarily any more "malicious" than other known viruses, according to Ujike.

"All it's doing is trying to find new hosts to improve its chances of survival," he noted. "In other words, it's just acting on instinct."

But even though the virus is devoid of feelings or intelligence, Ujike said he cannot help sensing something like a raw "life force" from its current virulent behavior.

The first known coronavirus was isolated from birds in the 1930s and found in pigs, cats and giraffes as well.

The current novel coronavirus is the seventh of its kind that is known to be capable of infecting humans.

Throughout human history, epidemics have fired up the imagination of artists around the world.

The plague was portrayed as a beaked god of death, an image conjured from the medieval face mask, resembling the head of a bird, and worn in Europe by doctors when treating their patients.

In Japan, cholera was represented as a monster that was a composite of the tiger, wolf and raccoon dog.

And in a recent ritual in India, an effigy of a blue demon stood for the novel coronavirus.

The demon, stuck with a giant syringe, burst into flames while a dense throng of worshippers cheered in exultation.

I can completely relate to their fervent desire to vanquish the virus. But their total disregard for any semblance of social distancing made me uneasy.

--The Asahi Shimbun, April 10

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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