If the authorities had heeded advice from those with the most profound knowledge of the mechanics of COVID-19, the pandemic could have been handled more adeptly, according to an immunologist, one of perhaps a few hundred in the world with the specific expertise. Instead, he said, his and others’ voices were silenced.
Shortly after news of the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in Wuhan, China, in early 2020, Vojtech Thon, professor of immunology at Masaryk University in the Czech Republic, examined tissue samples under a microscope. His goal wasn’t just to understand how the virus infects people but mainly to see the immune response dynamics that would protect a person. He focused on the mucosal system in the nose, mouth, and lungs—his area of expertise….