zeke
Well-known member
The only mechanism that can possibly predict future evolution and dominant variant is if this bit holds true. If increased transmissibility DEPENDS on this trade-off then that's a different story.
Again your big picture view is way off. This is only one of many biological trade-offs within our bodies that can determine how transmissible/deadly a virus is to us.
We know that it is very rare for a particular virus and variant to hit that sweet spot, and even that sweet spot is usually temporary.
A key thread:
If Omicron is not derived from Delta then there is actually zero reason to think it would be as deadly as Delta.