I had an idea that it was just an extremely common virus that we can’t cure. However, upon looking it up some sources say that there are over 200+ viruses that cause the common cold. Does that mean the common cold is just some blanket term we have for viruses that cause these symptoms?
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The common cold is an umbrella term for upper respiratory symptoms caused by a bunch of different viruses (usually rhinoviruses, non-SARS coronaviruses and RSV). Colds are usually mild, but depending on the virus and the person, they can be more severe. RSV is a more severe cold and it can kill high risk people like little kids and old people.
The reason we can’t “cure” the common cold is because there are so many different cold viruses. It would be impossible to get everyone vaccinated for every single cold virus, and it would be pretty pointless because most colds aren’t really dangerous.
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