Re:The Coronavirus Is Here Forever
by defgeneric on Monday August 23, 2021 @01:26PM
(#28279187)
> This is why there is an evolutionary pressure for all diseases to keep your host alive
Lethality should be distinguished from "keeping the host alive." For example, HIV is more than 90% lethal (untreated) but can take a decade before killing the host.
No, there is no "evolutionary pressure for all diseases", only for those where lethality precludes transmission, i.e. there is some cap at a some max.
Which is not the case for SARS-Cov-2 - viral titers peak after 2-4 days and population-weighted IFR is relatively low.
This is why there is an evolutionary pressure for all diseases to keep your host alive, and why some diseases/parasites ultimately evolve to be less harmful/lethal.