Virologists Find Coronavirus Is 80% The Same as SARS, Which May Help Us Neutralise It
The new coronavirus spreading in China appears to be similar to SARS in two important ways: They share 80 percent of their genetic codes, and both originated in bats.
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"In essence, it's a version of SARS that spreads more easily but causes less damage," Ian Jones, a virologist at the University of Reading in the UK who was not affiliated with the study, said in a press release about the studies.
Those similarities offer a silver lining.
"This indicates that treatments and vaccines developed for SARS should work for the Wuhan virus," Jones added.
https://www.sciencealert.com/genetic-analysis-shows-wuhan-coronavirus-is-similar-to-sars
Slight caveat: a SARS vaccine was developed but not widely tested. However, that does give them a potential head start on this strain.
Takeaway: Bat should be permanently off the menu since they were also the reservoir for Ebola. Most species are beneficial, so it's doubly bad to use them as a foodstuff.
