Re:Update on Omicron
by ed_balls on Monday November 29, 2021 @04:14PM
(#29385370)
> The omicron variant could be a blessing in disguise
Not really. There is a very low evolutionary pressure to become less deadly.* You start infecting people in day 3, have symptoms on day 8 and die on day 20. You can walk around for a week infecting people before you die. Compare it to previous SARS epidemic, where people started infecting others much later. It just died out, because people were isolated at homes and hospitals.
*SARS-COV-2 is an upper respiratory track disease and SARS-COV-1 is a lower respiratory track disease.
Not really. There is a very low evolutionary pressure to become less deadly.* You start infecting people in day 3, have symptoms on day 8 and die on day 20. You can walk around for a week infecting people before you die. Compare it to previous SARS epidemic, where people started infecting others much later. It just died out, because people were isolated at homes and hospitals.
*SARS-COV-2 is an upper respiratory track disease and SARS-COV-1 is a lower respiratory track disease.