Short answers, pulled from the story.
Over 200 distinct virus strains cause the common cold, with rhinoviruses accounting for 30 to 80 percent of all cases. Coronaviruses, adenoviruses, enteroviruses, parainfluenza viruses, and respiratory syncytial virus also serve as frequent offenders.
The virus spreads through airborne droplets generated by breathing, talking, or singing during routine activities. Direct contact with infected nasal secretions transfers the pathogen to hands that then touch eyes or noses, while contaminated objects called fomites allow rhinoviruses to survive for over 18 hours in the environment before infection occurs.
Symptoms typically peak two to four days after onset but may persist for up to three weeks in some individuals. A sore throat appears in about 40 percent of all cold cases while coughing affects roughly half of patients.
No vaccine exists because the viruses mutate rapidly and exist in over 200 different forms. Vaccination efforts face high probability of failure due to this extreme genetic diversity.
Zinc supplements taken within 24 hours of symptom onset can shorten cold duration by up to 33 percent. Zinc gluconate lozenges became the only successful treatment developed during the Common Cold Unit's existence before its closure on the 1st of January 1990.