There are actually two coronaviruses — which will make developing a vaccine harder: report

While researchers are already hard at work on developing a coronavirus vaccine, experts say it is unlikely to be ready for at least a year.

One of the reasons for that might be that it turns out, technically, there are two strains of coronavirus — and people can be infected with either, or even both simultaneously.

That's according to a new study reported by The Telegraph.

"Researchers at Peking University's School of Life Sciences and the Institut Pasteur of Shanghai, discovered the virus has evolved into two major lineages — dubbed 'L' and 'S' types," stated the report. "The older 'S-type' appears to be milder and less infectious, while the 'L-type' which emerged later, spreads quickly and currently accounts for around 70 per cent [sic] of cases."

"Genetic analysis of a man in the US who tested positive on January 21, also showed it is possible to be infected with both types," continued the report.

Accounting for different strains of the same illness is one of the reasons seasonal flu vaccines are so difficult to formulate, and why they so often fail to work. But the stakes are even higher for coronavirus.