Visualizing COVID

In late January 2020, as researchers began to assess the threat posed by COVID-19, the CDC released a now-familiar illustration of the SARS-CoV-2 virus particle: A textured grey sphere with menacing red spikes spread out evenly across its surface. That depiction quickly became the public face of a global menace. But even as the image achieved iconic status, artists and scientific illustrators continued to create new, updated images and animations based on the emerging data. As new variants emerge and the pandemic evolves, they’re still using their science insights and artistic sensibilities to tell a story about a virus that’s wreaked havoc across the globe.