Couple if things...the medical expert is right, as long as it does not kill its host before it can replicate and spread. This is not the case with COVID. It often spreads prior to any symptoms just fine so killing its host after the fact is a nothing burger from the viruses perspective.Kismet wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 9:32 amJust saw a report this morning, that a very early look at limited data on Omicron is that it appears to be more transmissible than Delta but significantly less virulent. If this turns out to be true, then the latest mutations may be taking it more towards flu or even common cold which would be truly fantastic news especially if it were to supplant Delta.Typical Lax Dad wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 8:02 amWhat is your inference or conclusion from the data?youthathletics wrote: ↑Mon Dec 06, 2021 7:46 am Compelling: https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/unit ... =~All+ages
Still early, but I recall a medical expert saying recently that it is not in the virus' interest to kill its host.
As to the virus mutating to a less virulent form. If it does, it is just dumb luck if so. Since the virus spreads prior to killing its host there is absolutely no selection pressure to move toward less virulence. Smallpox, SARS, Mers and a whole lot of really nasty ones have not mutated to less virulence and they do a heck of alot better job of killing their host.
Not to be a nattering nabob or negativity but.......If Omicron does mutate to a less virulent form but it more transmissible that may or may not be good news. Think of it this way....
Lets say out of a pop of 1 million people 10,000 get infected with a death rate of 1% so we get 100 dead out of the 10,000 infected.
Now lets say Omicron is 3x more transmissible (current estimates are around here) but half as virulent. So with the same 1 million people we would get 30,000 infected and with the 0.5% death rate would have 150 dead. And this is just from the virus. The more hospital beds taken up the greater the toll on the others in need of medical attention.
It is an interplay between the two, transmission and virulence that will end up telling the tale. It seems way to early to tell but JHU72 is taking all bets............