Becker’s Hospital Review posted a list of five unanswered COVID questions after more than 200,000 studies. They believe these need answers which could help scientists, health officials, and world leaders develop better strategies. We provide their COVID-19 mystery list below, and agree these puzzles do need solutions.
The Five Pieces of the COVID-19 Mystery Puzzle
- Where did the virus originate from, and why is it so infectious?
- How will the virus evolve in future, and will we face new variants?
- Could our scientists develop a universal vaccine and by when?
- Why do only some people develop Long COVID symptoms?
- Why do COVID-19 infections vary by age, and between individuals?
Becker’s Hospital Review directed us to The Washington Post in search of answers. Their writer favored the suggestion the virus crossed to humans from horseshoe bats. Although the link to Huanan Seafood Market remains a COVID-19 mystery.
However, we do know that we are wide open to new variants. That’s because they appear to incubate in immuno-compromised people who are unable to have the vaccine safely. At the moment the tendency is towards less serious symptoms. This trend could reverse but we don’t know how and why.
More Unknowns On the Mysterious COVID List
The possibility of a universal vaccine appears to depend on how the virus develops in terms of new mutations. The Washington Post makes the point our vaccines target the spike protein which is where many of these changes occur. For the near-to-medium term we may need periodic boosters.
However, we have no idea what makes a fifth of the infected population develop lingering symptoms, even if their original infections may have been mild. U.S. Congress awarded $37 million to 40 research projects investigating Long COVID, but we are still in the dark.
However, we are on somewhat firmer ground with age-related severity, because immunity declines with the passing years. Perhaps the virus load affects symptom severity within age bands, maybe there’s a genetic variation in play? We shall probably have to wait and see how this pans out, like so much else that happens in life.
Breaking News
How Likely We Were to Die from COVID
