Covid variants on the rise

[watu05]

Until most of the world is vaccinated, the virus will have a huge body of hosts to continute to mutate and find ways to become more infectious or more lethal or both.

As Variants Have Spread, Progress Against the Virus in U.S. Has Stalled (Published 2021)

Vaccinations have topped three million per day, but cases have risen again amid the presence of more-contagious variants, restriction rollbacks and more travel.

www.nytimes.com

 

[Clong83a]

I would settle for "More virulent, less fatal", but that is wishful thinking probably.

Still, there is an evolutionary pressure for viruses to be non-lethal. The virus that doesn't kill its host, but has him out and walking around spreading it while feeling 'a bit under the weather' has an advantage in spreading over one that makes him so sick he stays in bed and then goes to a hospital and dies.

This virus is weird in that it can do both.

 

[noble cane]

Almost like it was designed that way..

 

[watu05]

I would settle for "More virulent, less fatal", but that is wishful thinking probably.

Still, there is an evolutionary pressure for viruses to be non-lethal. The virus that doesn't kill its host, but has him out and walking around spreading it while feeling 'a bit under the weather' has an advantage in spreading over one that makes him so sick he stays in bed and then goes to a hospital and dies.

This virus is weird in that it can do both.

Limiting the pool of people Covid can mutate in is crucial but realistically there will always be a pool of hosts for mutation, but it can be slowed down a lot. Agree that a virus does not 'want' to burn out hosts before they can spread to others..

The mutations are starting to hammer younger, unvaccinated people due to new variants. It's a race for vaccinations while continuing masking and distancing.
------------

From CNBC

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that hospitals are seeing more and more younger adults in 30s and 40s admitted with severe disease from the coronavirus.
• “Data suggests this is all happening as we are seeing increasing prevalence of variants, with 52 jurisdictions now reporting cases of variants of concern,” Walensky said.
• Currently, the most common variant circulating in the United States is the B.1.1.7 variant from the United Kingdom. This variant is about 50% more transmittable and is likely to result in more severe disease.