2 ms·

> we aren't immune against flu, is there any reason to think we could develop (long-term) immunity to COVID-19? Spanish flu became less lethal in subsequent ge

> we aren't immune against flu, is there any reason to think we could develop (long-term) immunity to COVID-19? Spanish flu became less lethal in subsequent generations[1]. Helps with the survivability of the virus if it doesn't kill the host. So, the strains with less lethality win out. We don't need to be immune for the situation to resolve. Simply co-evolving with the virus is sufficient [1] https://demystifyingscience.com/blog/2020/3/4/patriarch-of-pandemics https://demystifyingscience.com/blog/2020/3/4/patriarch-of-p...

bitL 7y ago
> So, the strains with less lethality win out. Which is the case for COVID-19 vs original SARS (much more lethal). So we already have a "mild" version of SARS and it doesn't look good.
sliken 7y ago
Flu's evolve and there's feedback from the behavior of the humans they infect. So if they make you feel like crap you are less likely to spread the infection. So that results in a less aggressive infection out competing a similar but more aggressive infection, doubly so since the immune system will like cross react between the two. However with COVID19 the infection seems quite adept at spreading before the symptoms show, so there's going to be less of a feedback loop. Might even be the opposite since a serious infection means visiting the doctors office, in many cases more than once, and finally escalating to the emergency room. COVID19 seems especially adept at infecting nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, and EMTs.