Ohio State Has Long Studied Coronavirus, Says 'Not To Panic'

For decades, researchers at The Ohio State University have been studying different strains of the coronavirus and were not surprised there was another outbreak.

Assistant Professor Scott Kenney, with the College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences, published a paper last month on a different form of the virus and how it can spread among chickens.

Once a decade, he said, we see a major crossover of the coronavirus to humans. Kenney says it's happened three times in the last 30 years, including SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

Scientists have to be vigilant in monitoring the coronavirus strains before they become a health emergency, he said, and given time, since the various forms may mutate into a virulent form.

But is encouraging people not to panic and anticipates in about four months researchers will develop a vaccine for this most recent outbreak. "If this does become a global problem we'll have something similar to  I don't want to say the flu vaccine  but you'll have a vaccine that everyone can get and be protected against these coronaviruses."

However, like the flu shot, he said it won't protect against all strains.

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