They seen to be using the phrase “genetic drift” in the wrong way, to mean mutation itself.
The disease has a large viral load, which gives it more opportunity to mutate. And of course when more and more people have it, it has an even better chance of mutation.
Genetic drift would mean one mutation or more become isolated from the rest and in effect start their own form of the disease in a particular spot or situation.
Not really. The term genetic drift is used to describe the fact that viruses isolated early in an outbreak are slightly different than viruses isolated later. Viruses even mutate within a single person during the course of a single infection.
By studying the genetic drift, researchers can determine if the outbreak started from a single zoonotic infection, or multiple infections from different zoonotic sources.
Thank you for clearing that up, as I was confused by the writer’s use of the term.