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In reply to the discussion: Updated - Reuters: New coronavirus losing potency, top Italian doctor says [View all]backscatter712
(26,355 posts)69. Maybe that's what's happening.
Viruses do seem to evolve to become less lethal to their hosts over time. After all, viruses that kill too many of their hosts also kill themselves.
Maybe this is due to natural mutations, or maybe due to gene-mixing with common-cold viruses like you mentioned that cause fewer nasty symptoms.
I vaguely remember a news story where an epidemiologist mentioned that there were four distinct coronaviruses (not COVID-19) that we catch and spread around regularly - when we catch those bugs, we just call them colds. This epidemiologist theorizes that eventually, COVID-19 will become the fifth coronavirus common-cold virus.
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Updated - Reuters: New coronavirus losing potency, top Italian doctor says [View all]
phylny
May 2020
OP
Great if true really really skeptical, this doctor is talking about viral load not a mutated virus
uponit7771
May 2020
#3
This too, where I'm at around 50% of the people are wearing masks and that's pretty good
uponit7771
May 2020
#48
And viral load is influenced by many factors, like mask wearing and social distancing.
Blue_true
May 2020
#45
Ok to be fair, I ran what the doctor actually said in Italian through google translate
Rstrstx
Jun 2020
#61
We have had a rise in cases - I think 20 more than two weeks ago (we live in a rural area) and
phylny
May 2020
#24
Let them publish their conclusion with data for peer review. Otherwise their claim is suspect.
Raven123
May 2020
#16
+1, if the virus hasn't mutated I don't care for amount of viral load if they haven't tested
uponit7771
May 2020
#40