While 2020 is clearly the year of the “Wuhan Flu”, just four years ago, in 2016, a different viral scourge was making headlines. We are discussing, of course, the Zika Virus. Unlike the current Coronavirus pandemic, Zika most certainly attacked children. Most notably crossing the placental barrier and destroying fetal brain tissue in the womb.

The first Zika fatality in the USA occurred in February 2016. As of early March 2016 there were nearly 200 cases in the United States.

In late August 2016, the city of Miami Beach begins closing off some areas to prevent the spread. Tourists, especially pregnant women, are especially worried. Stories of Zika spreading throughout the United States, of being sexually transmitted for months after infection, and more, move like wildfire across the interwebs.

But fear not, a small company with no revenue history, based in Salt Lake City, is ready to ease your fears, and maybe let you get rich at the same time! Introducing Zika Diagnostics, Inc. 

During that summer of 2016, a shell by the name of Watermark Group rapidly changed hands between Moses Gross of Brooklyn, NY, to Adam Kovacevic, who through Double Grouper LLC was acting as front for Todd Violette of Palos Verdes Estates, CA.

Adam and Todd quickly flipped the shell to Ted Murphy of Toronto. For his trouble Adam appears to have made a quick $25k in two weeks.

A month later, the company emerges from the darkness, with a new name, a new address, and a change of business. Says the renamed Zika Therapeutics in an 8k (available here):

(note the address – 8160 S Highland Drive, SLC)

“The Company intends to respond to the 2016 outbreak of the Zika virus by providing state of the art diagnostics tools to the medical community”

From that same 8k, here are the officers and directors of the company:

Dwight Egan and Reed Benson, both of whom need no introduction to long-time fans of SLC schlock stocks. Astute readers will also note Ted Murphy is still around along with Robert Salna, both no strangers to Canadian penny lovelies.

Of course, as befalls filthy reverse mergers, nothing ever happened with the company and in late August 2019, about 3 years after it was born, Zika Therapeutics was mercy-killed by the Feds (see here).

So what does any of this have to do with CODX, a company in Salt Lake City ready to tackle the world’s Coronavirus testing needs?

Seem familiar?

THE CONTENT CONTAINED IN THIS BLOG REPRESENTS ONLY THE OPINIONS OF THE AUTHOR. THE AUTHOR MAY HOLD EITHER LONG OR SHORT POSITIONS IN SECURITIES OF VARIOUS COMPANIES DISCUSSED IN THE BLOG. THIS COMMENTARY IN NO WAY CONSTITUTES INVESTMENT ADVICE, AND SHOULD NEVER BE RELIED ON IN MAKING AN INVESTMENT DECISION, EVER. THIS BLOG IS NOT A SOLICITATION OF BUSINESS: ALL INQUIRIES WILL BE IGNORED. THE CONTENT HEREIN IS INTENDED SOLELY FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT OF THE READER, AND THE AUTHOR.