It looks like the world’s favorite virus has mutated and become more infectious, so say virologists at Los Alamos National Laboratory and Scripps Research in Florida.
As if it wasn’t infectious enough already.
Just what we needed.
In case you’re wondering how this mutations stuff works, it goes like this:
Viruses are constantly mutating, creating new genetic structures with different attributes than the original. When a mutation enables the virus to survive longer and/or replicate more effectively, that gives it a survival advantage over the original virus and it becomes dominant.
Which ain’t great for us. So, of course, that’s what happened.
Now, I know this is starting to look like everything that can possibly go wrong is going wrong. Maybe. Nevertheless, there really is only one outcome. The tide will turn. We will beat this thing. Throughout history we always have.
Worst case, herd immunity will stop the virus. That much we know. End of story.
If you’re wondering what effect mutations have on herd immunity and vaccines in progress, join the club. All I know is this sort of thing is common for viruses. It’s what they do. It’s expected. So there is that.
On a separate but related note, keep in mind that this pandemic is not a once in a lifetime event. It’s a once in a many lifetimes event. For God’s sake people, let’s act like it.
If there was ever a time in I don’t know how many generations to put our differences aside and have each other’s backs, this is it. So far, that’s not going too well. That’s not just un-American. It’s uncivilized.
Rioting, looting and killing combined with targeting, defunding and marginalizing police during a pandemic is a recipe for disaster. The results have been tragic.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not pointing fingers at anyone or any side. I’ve seen virtually everyone politicize this virus. That speaks volumes about the state of our culture. And none of it is good.
If nothing else comes of this, maybe it’ll be a wakeup call to put our politics aside, work together and prove we’re more civilized than a mindless bug. I don’t know about you but I have my doubts.
Image credit bswise / Flickr