Coronavirus Has Not Significantly Mutated, Easing Long-Lasting Vaccine Development

(CBS) - Researchers say the novel coronavirus is not mutating significantly as it spreads over the globe, which may give scientists an advantage when it comes to developing a vaccine.

All viruses mutate over time, but according to the Washington Post, researchers at Johns Hopkins have studied the genetic code of more than a thousand samples of the new coronavirus and have found it's staying pretty much the same.

That means it isn't likely to become more or less dangerous. Perhaps more importantly, it may give scientists the chance to develop a long-lasting vaccine that wouldn't need to be given every year, unlike the flu vaccine which is redesigned annually because influenza viruses mutate considerably from year to year.

In:
• Coronavirus