[riri]

Did your ox get gored?

Huh?

But, after replicating and mutations creep into the new strain, the virus becomes weaker. In addition, the population begins to build immunity

Ummmm...typically now long is this process? Are we talking days, weeks, months, years?

[bonesmccoy]

You are essentially asking the question which forms the basis for all of the field of evolutionary molecular biology. For each organism, there is an enzyme called "polymerase". There are RNA and DNA polymerases and there are reverse transcriptase (which was first identified in Human Immunodeficiency Virus) which converts from RNA to DNA.

Polymerases sometimes make errors in transcribing the genetic code. This introduces errors. The introduction of those molecular errors creates the a natural mutation rate for different organisms (depending on the "fidelity" of the polymerase).

So, I can not answer your question with respect to SARS because I have not seen the genetic sequencing for the coronavirus involved in SARS.

I would hope that molecular biologists working for the US DOD would have characterized these viral particles already.

If DOD doesn't have those kinds of physicians/scientists already working the problem, I volunteer!