bigeric said:
How frequently do the colds coronas mutate?
A lot. This is one of the many reasons there is no vaccine for the common cold. Another reason is due to the fact that there are four main variants of coronavirus (20% of cold infections) that cause a common cold. So, you have four versions that mutate constantly. Additionally, the common cold is caused by more than a coronavirus. There are also rhinoviruses (10-40% of cold infections) that cause colds and these also mutate. Add to this RSV and parainfluenza. These contribute to about 20% of all cold infections.. All of these viruses make up what we know as the common cold. It is thought that a couple of the coronaviruses that cause the common cold got their start as deadly pandemics. As the mutate and our bodies got used to encountering them, the severity of these viruses was reduced.
Your immune system recognizes these different virus' and when you get infected, your immune system is able to mount a defense and keep you from becoming so sick that you will die. Due to the mutations, they are able to evade your first line of defense, but they can not escape your entire immune system. This is the path to a virus becoming endemic. It is pervasive, can easily infect its host, but it does not cause severe illness in most cases. This is due to viruses becoming transmittable and less severe, combined with our immune systems developing memory to fight future infections.
SARS-CoV-2 is not going away. We have only been able to eradicate one virus (smallpox) through vaccination and it is highly unlikely we will find a vaccine that eradicates SAR-CoV-2. We have had good success in controlling the spread of about 14 other viruses, but they have not been eradicated. These are viruses that cause rubella, polio, measles, mumps, etc. Our best hope is it continues to mutate and continues to become less severe.