How much further can covid mutate?

[Thelm]

I’m just wondering. Is there a limit as to how far a virus can mutate? Are we going to still be in a race to contain it in five years time?

I just don’t know how this will end.

If you care you care to scroll back, posters HAVE repeatedly tried to correct where you have misconstrued what they have written, you just haven't bothered responding, or you have just kept arguing.

Haha sally you don't get to start ordering me to produce examples of anything thanks very much, that's not how this works.

[quote SallyBasingstoke]@chesirecat99 we can argue all night whether zero covid is laughable or not, the reality is any scientist arguing it would probably be struck off for being a loon

Regarding your New zealand link you said " I never posted any link that mentioned New zealand " and I have shown you one where you did.. if you don't know what's even in your own links it doesn't add much to your argument of zero covid being possible does it?[/quote]
If Cheshire was educated at Oxford, I'm Dolly Parton- we can all be anything online can't we?

Well hello, Dolly. It's Chesire actually. I name change fairly frequently but you could probably find posts about Oxbridge on the Higher Education board from me. Not that proves anything but I would have to be a serious fantasist to keep up the lie for years.

I didn't post anything ABOUT New Zealand specifically. I posted a letter from the BMJ that briefly mentions New Zealand in but it is ABOUT zero COVID. I didn't even post it (or anything else) in support of zero COVID, I posted it as an example that there are eminent scientists who support the policy like strangeshapedpotato. The author, Professor Martin McKee, most definitely has not been "struck off for being a loon".

BTW scientists can't be "struck off", only medical doctors on the GMC medical register can be struck off the register. Although Professor McKee is a medical doctor.

I would never write or say, "I never posted any link."

@InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream

sally well, as cheshire studied epidemiology at Oxford, I'm not sure she's THAT intellectually challenged

Just to clarify, epidemiology was only part of my degree.

I'm not backtracking on anything.

You asked strangeshapedpotato:
2) Why do you talk about zero covid when any scientist in the world would laugh at you for talking idealistic nonsense that is not realistic

To which, I wrote and posted the link to Professor McKee's letter:
2) Um any scientist? Tell that to Independent Sage
www.independentsage.org/who-are-independent-sage/
www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m3859

I haven't said at any point that I am pro zero COVID.

Sally I did have a giggle at Chesire (sorry for calling you Cheshire) pointing out scientists can't be 'struck off'. So many of the things you say would lead me to believe that you are in fact, talking shit.

[quote SallyBasingstoke]I suppose a national paper talking about one eg of a scientist being struck off is going to be sued for using that terminology @InSpaceNooneCanHearYouScream . You aren't bright enough to contribute to the thread so back in your box

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8047313/Married-NHS-scientist-struck-groping-junior-female-colleague.html[/quote]
sally You think being 'fired' is the same as being 'struck off'? And you think I'M not bright enough to be on this thread?
Look, all you're doing is throwing insults at everyone and looking like an idiot, I never intended to contribute to the content of the thread. I was just enjoying reading it, until I got sick of your know-it-all-know-nothing-rudeness. I really can't be arsed to reply to any more of your crap, so have a nice day all.

OP if you are still reading

This is a real question, O'm not having a dig or setting a trap

Does virus mutation change your feelings about how you'd like things to be handled?

Does virus mutation change your feelings about how you'd like things to be handled?

That is a good question.

Does virus mutation change your feelings about how you'd like things to be handled?

Good question indeed.

If future variants are significantly more transmissible than existing dominant variants before everyone in a particular country is fully vaccinated, this sets that country back and surely it will have to be more cautious.

Once a whole country is vaccinated, it should really only be a problem if the new variant is able to evade vaccines sufficiently to increase hospitalisation a beyond capacity.

A third possibility is a new variant becomes significantly more pathological. I don’t think that’s likely but in that case, it could still kill a lot of people by just infecting those stragglers who are still unvaccinated. And of course the people who have no option because of the extreme clinical vulnerabilities.

Finally, I’m sure we’ve all thanked our lucky stars more than once that the virus affects older people more and not children. The whole approach would be very different if that changes.

@everythingthelighttouches

Does virus mutation change your feelings about how you'd like things to be handled?

Good question indeed.

If future variants are significantly more transmissible than existing dominant variants before everyone in a particular country is fully vaccinated, this sets that country back and surely it will have to be more cautious.

Once a whole country is vaccinated, it should really only be a problem if the new variant is able to evade vaccines sufficiently to increase hospitalisation a beyond capacity.

A third possibility is a new variant becomes significantly more pathological. I don’t think that’s likely but in that case, it could still kill a lot of people by just infecting those stragglers who are still unvaccinated. And of course the people who have no option because of the extreme clinical vulnerabilities.

Finally, I’m sure we’ve all thanked our lucky stars more than once that the virus affects older people more and not children. The whole approach would be very different if that changes.

I very much agree on your last point

The aim I heard this morning was to vaccinate world by end of 2022. It’s hard to imagine we’ll have beaten back the virus as a result, and also it’s quite far off, but it’s something I guess

What do posters think would be done differently if the virus affected children?

The thing I fear most (apart from the younger age groups part) is having to start back at the beginning if completely evades vaccine

I’m holding onto the previously mentioned work from a scientist on the limitations of types of mutation