5 ms·
> There is no selection pressure for Covid to become less lethal. Isn't there though? Say Covid killed within seconds. Then it couldn't spread. The longer the
by mherrmann 5y ago
> There is no selection pressure for Covid to become less lethal.
Isn't there though? Say Covid killed within seconds. Then it couldn't spread. The longer the host lives, the more other people it can infect. I would almost say that the opposite of what you wrote is true.
- forgotmyoldname 5y agoLength of time until death doesn’t mean a virus is less lethal. Rabies effectively has a 100% death rate and it can take years for it to kick in. There are cases of people suddenly showing symptoms 5 years after initial exposure, and once that happens, your brain basically rapidly rots and you drop dead. We have no clue what the long term effects of any covid variants are. We can only speculate.
- tigershark 5y agoIt’s exactly the opposite of what you are saying. There is pressure for the virus to NOT become more lethal in less time. It’s the opposite of saying that there is pressure for the virus to become less lethal in more time.