Did you find this answer helpful? Subscribe to keep up with all things Lifelong Learning.
I do not understand why SARS-CoV-2 perpetuates and keeps mutating while the 2003 coronavirus (SARS-CoV) did not. Is there any particular reason that explains this? Thank you.
All viruses mutate as they replicate. The important difference between SARS-CoV-1, the one from 2003, and SARS-CoV-2 is the timing of infection and disease. SARS-CoV-1 generally causes symptoms in the first 24 hours of someone being infected. If that person is quickly quarantined and able to limit the transmission of the virus to someone else, then you can stop chains of transmission. For SARS-CoV-2, we know that people are able to transmit the virus for several days before they have symptoms, if they have any symptoms at all, which allows for the virus to transmit from person to person easier. The more people the virus infects, the more it mutates. SARS-CoV-1 was rapidly contained in about 9 months due to the ability to identify and quarantine infected people. That is much more difficult with SARS-CoV-2.
