2026-10-19 19:08 UTC
I get so annoyed with articles that say things like "now that COVID-19 has mutated into a milder form". It feeds into the narrative that viruses always mutate into milder forms.
THIS IS NOT TRUE. Yes, Omicron is milder than Delta, but I'll remind you that Delta was worse than any of its predecessors.
More than the virus changing, WE HUMANS have changed. The most susceptible died, and the rest of us either got vaccines or infections which provide us with some protection.
This matters! The virus is not going to be mild for people who have not had an immunization event (vaccination or infection) -- like unvaccinated, as-yet-unexposed kids.
Replies (2)
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@TrueNorthSpice@mastodon.world 2026-10-19 19:17
@ducky@mstdn.ca Even "mild " cases can kill a vaccinated vulnerable person
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@datum@zeroes.ca 2026-10-19 20:21
@ducky@mstdn.ca And the 'protection' conferred from infection is weak. And the protection conferred from any challenge is waning, and is immune imprinting (great for avoiding death from acute SARS2, not great for sterilization and sequelae). And we don't know all long term impacts, which the post-1918-influenza research demonstrates can be significant.