Has Sars-Cov-2 Reached Its Peak?

Mankind is tracking the evolution of a virus as it happens, almost in real-time, which was unprecedented and unpredicted. Scientific tools are giving insights at the molecular - level about how the virus and the host interact and how it is turning out to be. The genome of the novel coronavirus was found to have plasticity (to resist deformation), in early 2020, which provided it with an advantage. Transmissibility went up, and the D614G mutation arose from its parent virus real quick with 20% higher infectivity. It dominated globally. The next transmissibility jump was with 50% higher infectivity, in late 2020, with the B.1.1.7 variant. The B.1.617.2 "India" variant is now prominent in several nations across the globe, though the magnitude of its infectivity is uncertain, it represents a jump from both the D614G mutation and the B.1.1.7 variant.

The variants are now evolving to fool and evade the human immune system too, with B.1.351 leading the show, even though it cannot escape the vaccine-induced protection. P.1 also does it well, but D614G and B.1.1.7 are not good at it. However, B.1.617.2 combines features of both which are higher transmissibility and immune evasion. Some fraction of the immune evasion is due to the mutations that change the N - terminal domain and not the spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD), where early alterations had happened.

All this manifests that the virus is moving towards higher fitness, and natural selection is preferring mutations and variants that permit more transmission by immune sidestepping even if repeat infections have to happen. But viruses will prefer great transmissibility and not lethality to be more fit and viable. So the newer and fitter variants will now evolve and will be closely monitored for public threats, but can it be an indefinite process? Nature has "no infinity", and the "maximum transmission" will arrive soon. The later variants won't add much. The stabilized final virus will be the dominant strain, with minimum variations.

Scientifically, it can be stated that something similar would have occurred when the contagious RNA (Ribo Nucleic Acid) measles virus entered human society, and the virus was less stable and transmissible than it is now. The same has been observed for viruses causing Hepatitis A, poliomyelitis, mumps, and rubella. These viruses were unable to dodge the recovered host's immune response, perhaps there's no advantage in doing that as all have moved on to other hosts already. Evolutionary theory predicts that related organisms will share similarities that are derived from common ancestors - homologies.

The rapid vaccine development by man has given a huge shock to the SARS-CoV-2 virus's natural evolution. Vaccines are producing stronger immunity than a mere infection - and - recovery. So the highly vaccinated societies namely Israel and US must see dangerous new mutants as the virus has no other choice, but that is not going to happen. So optimism is warranted. Some experts are predicting a complete resistance to present-day vaccines, by the virus, soon in the future. Hence, keep an eye out on "vaccine piercing" variants and update vaccines quickly then. Therefore it's now crucial to ensure that what developed countries did and are doing is done in the developing nations too, in socio-sanitary settings.?

Give free or at least nearly free vaccines to everyone. The best selfishness today is being generous, as no one is vaccinated until everyone is.?

- Aindri Abhishek Singh