My point was that the spillover of a significantly more lethal but highly transmissible virus is unlikely, but becoming more likely with each tick of population

My point was that the spillover of a significantly more lethal but highly transmissible virus is unlikely, but becoming more likely with each tick of population growth. SARS-CoV-2, as terrible as it was, wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been: a better-adapted, more transmissible, and more lethal first wave. And if that scenario were playing out, a human-engineered firebreak, even at the cost of many lives, isn't an obvious ethical wrong. Difficult decisions.