5 ms·
Your question caused a likely ludicrous and unoriginal idea to pop into my head - I wonder if it would be possible to purposefully engineer and release a mutat
by cknoxrun 5y ago
Your question caused a likely ludicrous and unoriginal idea to pop into my head - I wonder if it would be possible to purposefully engineer and release a mutated form of a virus like SARS-CoV-2 that demonstrates the ability to replace more dangerous strains, but causes only mild symptoms? Essentially to accelerate a process that we hope to see happen naturally.
- paddez 5y agoI guess, that's ultimately the idea of vaccines.
- snidane 5y agoDangerous game that is. Covid vaccines are essentially what you propose, but without the natural ability to spread. Designed to be without side effects, turns out not to be so much without side effects Only time will tell.
- F6F6FA 5y agoWIV was studying bat-vaccine viruses: release the vaccine in a population and let infection do the rest. Wuhan variant, shows a mortality of around 10% (all the miners died, and healthy doctor, who was silenced then martyred, also died). Branch after Wuhan quarantines in Italy was mixed S and L variant. Mortality of around 1% after settling. Xi-Omicron variant now seems around 0.1%. Would a country with a more advanced biodefense release such a counter virus if it had the option? Perhaps if the damage to the economy and international relations became too grave. Then again, Spanish Flu also lasted 3 years and ended with an endemic virus. Maybe we just waited for nature to engineer this, while trying to speed up opening up for the economy, having young people vaccinate to protect the rich and elderly, and a few years worth of mRNA data volunteered/mandated by the public.