If we understand the biological principle of *Muller’s Ratchet*, what we observe in South Africa should not surprise us. It is the same principle that ended the Spanish Flu, Hongkong Flu. SARS-COV-1 and a host of other pandemics.
It is the nature of Viruses to “seek” hosts to attach to and the more defenses one creates ( e.g. vaccines ), the more they mutate and transmit faster to live hosts... until they eventually reach their evolutionary end and become endemic like the common flu. Viruses do not mutate to be so virulent to kill off potential hosts otherwise they themselves will not survive. Hence they will mutate and transmit faster but not to be more lethal or stronger, but less lethal.
We should expect more mutants to evolve, but their lethality should weaken. In fact, as the South African doctor who helped discover Omicron observes, the more people get infected by weaker mutants, the more the number of natural immunity kicks in. It will then become endemic.
This Coronavirus will be with us in perpetuity. It remains to be seen what variant becomes dominant. We can do nothing but try to boost our immune system and live a healthy lifestyle. The rest, we leave in God’s hands.
“the more people get infected by weaker mutants, the more the number of natural immunity kicks in.”
This variant may be a blessing in disguise.