Researchers have published more than 200,000 studies about COVID-19 in the nearly three years since the virus has emerged — four times the number of studies done on flu in the last century. However, many mysteries still linger about the virus's origins, its future spread and the long-term effect on humans, The Washington Post reported Sept. 26.
The publication outlined five questions that scientists still cannot answer about COVID-19:
1. Where did the virus come from, and why has it spread so successfully?
2. How is the virus evolving, and will new variants emerge?
3. Can scientists develop a universal coronavirus vaccine?
4. Why do some COVID-19 survivors develop long-term symptoms?
5. Why does COVID-19 severity vary based on age or individual?
Gaining more insight into these questions could help scientists, health officials and world leaders develop better strategies to control the virus' spread or prevent a future pandemic, according to the Post.
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