# Covid, SARS, MERS, Common Cold and other Coronavirus.



## EasilyAmused (4 Feb 2021)

“Coronavirus family now a prime suspect in previous pandemics”
An article in the Irish Times today.

Well worth a read. Interesting to note there have been eight endemics and pandemics so far this century.

Personally I think researchers and scientists should be incentivised to continue their Coronavirus research so as to eradicate the common cold once this pandemic is over.


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## Purple (4 Feb 2021)

EasilyAmused said:


> “Coronavirus family now a prime suspect in previous pandemics”
> An article in the Irish Times today.
> 
> Well worth a read. Interesting to note there have been eight endemics and pandemics so far this century.
> ...


The common cold is a collection of around 20 different viruses. They include human rhinoviruses, coronaviruses, parainfluenza viruses and adenoviruses.
The RNA vaccine research was originally looking at vaccines for cancer. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation invested $53 million in German company CureVac to help with their research.


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## EasilyAmused (4 Feb 2021)

Ahhhh.... Rhinoviruses. 
I’d an acute rhinovirus infection once. Sickest I’ve ever been.


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## EasilyAmused (5 Feb 2021)

I listened to Luke O’Neill yesterday. He says there are pharma companies out there trying to make anti-virals for Coronavirus. If they’re successful, these will remedy all Coronavirus, Covid-19, SARS, common cold (CV).  Good news.


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## Purple (5 Feb 2021)

EasilyAmused said:


> I listened to Luke O’Neill yesterday. He says there are pharma companies out there trying to make anti-virals for Coronavirus. If they’re successful, these will remedy all Coronavirus, Covid-19, SARS, common cold (CV).  Good news.


An antiviral is any drug that inhibits the development of the virus, as opposed to destroying it. The can do things like target an enzyme that is only produced by the virus and not by the host, thus stopping replication. The danger will all drugs like this, and tradition vaccines, is that because the virus lives in our cells there can be unforeseen reactions between the drug and our DNA. That's the reason the new mRNA vaccines are so exciting; not only do they not contain the pathogen (virus), but they are far less likely to interact with our DNA.


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## EasilyAmused (19 Feb 2021)

There is research being conducted into a pan-coronavirus vaccine. 
It is intended to be effective against Covid-19, SARS, MERS, common cold, etc.


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## Purple (19 Feb 2021)

EasilyAmused said:


> There is research being conducted into a pan-coronavirus vaccine.
> It is intended to be effective against Covid-19, SARS, MERS, common cold, etc.


The spike protein on all Corona Viruses must be sufficiently similar that they can be targeted by a single vaccine.


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## EasilyAmused (19 Feb 2021)

Purple said:


> The spike protein on all Corona Viruses must be sufficiently similar that they can be targeted by a single vaccine.


Heard about it on the radio. They explained the approach being taken but I can’t recall the details.


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## odyssey06 (19 Feb 2021)

EasilyAmused said:


> There is research being conducted into a pan-coronavirus vaccine.
> It is intended to be effective against Covid-19, SARS, MERS, common cold, etc.



Would that only  be the common colds that are caused by coronaviruses?
The rhinovirus ones would be different?


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## Purple (19 Feb 2021)

odyssey06 said:


> The rhinovirus ones would be different?


And, I presume, the parainfluenza and Respiratory Syncytial viruses.


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## EasilyAmused (19 Feb 2021)

odyssey06 said:


> Would that only  be the common colds that are caused by coronaviruses?
> The rhinovirus ones would be different?



Presumably, but I wasn’t fully attentive when listening.


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## odyssey06 (19 Feb 2021)

EasilyAmused said:


> Presumably, but I wasn’t fully attentive when listening.


Vicks, Lemsip and Lockets will still be in business so.


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