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That's because the common cold mutates very quickly, so by the time you catch another cold it's effectively a new virus.
by na85 7y ago
That's because the common cold mutates very quickly, so by the time you catch another cold it's effectively a new virus.
- hirundo 7y agoIs coronavirus different in that respect?
- AstralStorm 7y agoIf we can use data related to Human Coronavirus strains (HCov), which are responsible for many colds, then not that much different. Of course, SARS-CoV-2 could be different. For SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, there was no data on this.
- DiogenesKynikos 7y agoThe "common cold" is a catch-all phrase for many different viruses, which are not all closely related to one another. The coronaviruses that circulate in humans (other than SARS-CoV-2) are common colds. My understanding is that they do not mutate quickly, but that for whatever reason, one infection does not confer lasting, complete immunity to later reinfection (though later infections may be less severe).