Every day, in countries all over the world, people are dying because of a new virus. This time they are dying from a new strain of coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 that causes the acute respiratory disease known as COVID-19. And this is just the latest. Viruses are responsible for the deaths of millions of people throughout history, from smallpox to flu.

In this time of worry and self-isolation, it is easy to think that viruses are our enemies. And of course, it’s true that some of them are. Sars, Mers, Ebola, HIV, swine flu, bird flu and Zika are among those that have caused deadly…