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Question about COVID variants - Printable Version +- MacResource (https://forums.macresource.com) +-- Forum: My Category (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=1) +--- Forum: 'Friendly' Political Ranting (https://forums.macresource.com/forumdisplay.php?fid=6) +--- Thread: Question about COVID variants (/showthread.php?tid=252291) Pages:
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Re: Question about COVID variants - Janit - 01-30-2021 PeterB wrote: It seems like the volume (figuratively) of infected individuals would be big factor in the likelihood of a nastier strain entering into our communities. Hopefully, the vaccines will deflate the volume of infections quickly enough to prevent some really nasty strain from evolving. The problem is, the strains we've recently identified mostly seem to increase infectivity, which means we'll be seeing a LOT more people infected, even if those people survive. While they're infected, their bodies serve as a potential "melting pot" for viral evolution. The longer they're infected, the more likely their body will allow some mutation. Some of those folks I mentioned for whom various treatments have been attempted and for whom they have had extended infection, it's been on the order of being infected for 1-2 months ... plenty of time for the virus to "cook". The vaccines will help, if they prevent transmission as well as actually preventing the person from getting sick. The problem there is that it's entirely possible that a vaccinated person can still transmit the virus to someone else. All the more reason to continue masking and distancing for the foreseeable future, until we know the pandemic is really under control, and probably even longer. Re: Question about COVID variants - PeterB - 01-30-2021 Janit wrote: It seems like the volume (figuratively) of infected individuals would be big factor in the likelihood of a nastier strain entering into our communities. Hopefully, the vaccines will deflate the volume of infections quickly enough to prevent some really nasty strain from evolving. The problem is, the strains we've recently identified mostly seem to increase infectivity, which means we'll be seeing a LOT more people infected, even if those people survive. While they're infected, their bodies serve as a potential "melting pot" for viral evolution. The longer they're infected, the more likely their body will allow some mutation. Some of those folks I mentioned for whom various treatments have been attempted and for whom they have had extended infection, it's been on the order of being infected for 1-2 months ... plenty of time for the virus to "cook". The vaccines will help, if they prevent transmission as well as actually preventing the person from getting sick. The problem there is that it's entirely possible that a vaccinated person can still transmit the virus to someone else. All the more reason to continue masking and distancing for the foreseeable future, until we know the pandemic is really under control, and probably even longer. Yes, and to make sure that the vaccines being produced are adjusted for the mutations and/or designed to hit multiple targets and/or epitopes. |