COVID-19 pandemic: No matter how much lipstick one tries to put on this pig, the virus has won the war
When a virus mutates,?its characteristics change and the higher the transmission?in?a population the higher the probability of mutation.?
Among viral properties are transmissibility and virulence and the COVID-19 virus variants have been more or less transmissible so far.
Luckily,?none has been much more virulent than others. However, this is not a foreshadow of the future in any way, shape, or form.
Viruses can become more virulent by (a) being resistant to preventive?and/or curative treatment, (b) causing more morbidity and mortality by inflicting more damage to cells and organs, or (c) both.
The theory that viruses always evolve to become less virulent has been demystified. In particular, please see?just the few articles below (with multiple references), among several others:
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“Researchers link mutations in coronavirus' internal machinery to higher risk of severe disease”:
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"Certain?mutations?in?the?spike?protein?of?SARS-CoV-2 have been linked to higher virulence and the ability to evade some antibody responses":?Variants of SARS-CoV-2 - Wikipedia
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"Debunking?the idea viruses always evolve to become less virulent"
This?article?from?ABC?News?explains?how?the?theory?that?viruses?evolve?to?become?less?virulent?and has been debunked. It discusses the complexity of virus evolution and how mutations can sometimes lead to increased virulence:
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“Do bad viruses always become good guys in the end”
This?article?explores?the?misconception?that?viruses?always?evolve?to?become?less?harmful.?It?
provides?historical?context?and?examples?to?illustrate?why?this?isn't?always?the?case:
Do Bad Viruses Always Become Good Guys in the End? | Office for Science and Society - McGill University (Published?by?McGill?University's?Office?for?Science?and?Society)
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“Do pathogens always evolve to be less virulent? The virulence-transmission trade-off in light of the COVID-19 pandemic”
This?article?from?Biologia?Futura?reviews?the?concept?of?the?virulence-transmission?trade-off?and?how?it?applies?to?COVID-19. It highlights the unpredictability of virus evolution and the factors that influence virulence:
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Also, let's not forget?that (a) with the same virulence, more transmissibility translates into more sick people and more deaths,?and (b) the ever-getting lower vaccination?coverage of the U.S. population with each recommended new shot makes it more likely for more?virulent?variants to emerge.?
Given the?facts that (a) the evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic is unpredictable, and (b) coronaviruses?have a high?mutation rate,?my worries about the pandemic evolution are?serious, as I stated during the Stanford University symposium on “Pandemic Policy: Planning the Future, Assessing the Past” held on 04 October 2024: https://healthpolicy.fsi.stanford.edu/events/pandemic-policy-planning-future-assessing-past
We are living with a sword dangling over our heads.
This has fundamental implications for the pandemic campaign strategy. So far,?it has been mitigating, not containing?and stopping viral transmission. The?m-RNA?vaccines are a perfect example. They are not truly preventive as?(a)?they are made?after?variants emerge, not before,?and (b) some shots do not block viral transmission. As a result, we are playing Russian roulette with SARS-CoV-2.
Both my criticisms of the risks posed by the virus and the current vaccines, have been viewed as too menacing by group-thinkers and efforts have been made to silence them, which is non-scientific. It is also very perilous because if the worst happens, we will be caught?completely?off guard.
Regrettably, the proponents of the notion that SARS-CoV-2 cannot mutate?into more virulent forms offer no guarantee and no evidence explaining why it is impossible.??
Please see my 22 warnings about the SARS-CoV-2 mutability on LinkedIn. They are all documented in my eBooks, starting as early as March 2020: https://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Store-Yann-Meunier/s?rh=n%3A133140011%2Cp_27%3AYann+Meunier and https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mindbenders-new-ideation-whistleblowing-yann-a-meunier/1139583487
Scientists who ignore danger are a threat, not those who warn about it and it is always better to be safe than sorry.
The current approach is tantamount to that of an ostrich hiding its head in the sand?when a lion approaches to kill it. It is hoping for the best but not preparing for the worst and just wishful thinking.
People still are directly or indirectly dying from COVID-19 and there is no end in sight.
During the summer of 2024, outside of the traditional respiratory season (which starts in November), the CDC?reported?that COVID-19 killed thousands, with about 4,200 reported deaths in August alone. As of October, some 40,000 Americans have lost their lives to COVID-19 in 2024.?
A?study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association?in May 2024?found that in the fall and winter of 2023-2024, the risk of death in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 was greater than the risk of death in patients hospitalized for seasonal influenza. On 28 September 2024,?the CDC reported?that COVID-19 hospitalizations continued to outpace flu and RSV hospitalizations combined.?
Furthermore, “long COVID, which is estimated to affect?5.3 percent of U.S. adults?in the U.S. (13.5 million people), poses potentially serious and debilitating long-term health issues such as fatigue, brain fog and uncontrolled blood pressure.”?(Opinion: We may think we’re done with COVID-19, but COVID-19 is not done)
There’s?no two ways about it, it is easy to assess and plain to see: the SARS-CoV-2 virus has won the war when a different outcome was possible and without any outrage. It does not bode well for the future of this pandemic and for others that will inevitably come.
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Drastic change is needed in global health, and it starts with leadership, vision, and framing.
I look at it the way it should have been, the way it ought to be, and the way it can be and say why and why not. I think outside the box because I am out of the box.
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