Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

… although the virus is likely to mutate and come back somewhat differently if seasonal and let's just not think about that part of this right now

Let's hope this early assessment on that is right.

Scientists say the coronavirus is not mutating quickly and might respond to a single vaccine

Scientists studying the novel coronavirus' genetic code say it does not appear to be mutating quickly, suggesting any vaccine developed for it will likely remain effective in the long term.

Peter Thielen, a molecular geneticist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, told The Washington Post that the strains of the virus infecting people in the U.S. have only about four to 10 genetic variations between the strain that emerged in Wuhan, China.

"That's a relatively small number of mutations for having passed through a large number of people," he told the newspaper. "At this point the mutation rate of the virus would suggest that the vaccine developed for SARS-CoV-2 would be a single vaccine, rather than a new vaccine every year like the flu vaccine."

Thielen compared the eventual vaccine to those used for illnesses such as chickenpox or measles, which generally immunize patients long-term. ...