More Transmissible But Less Dangerous?

Because the Omicron variant has been mainly infecting younger individuals, who are less likely to be hospitalised or die, speculation has circulated that the Covid19 virus may become less dangerous, as it becomes more transmissible. The idea seems to have arisen from a phenomenon where some parasites have vested interest in keeping their hosts alive. Neil Ferguson (Imperial College, London) has pointed out that such adaptation is highly unlikely in the case of the Omicron variant (https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/01/covid-19-variants-omicron-may-not-evolve-less-danger-time-nervtag-uk). Ferguson notes that, in the case of Sars-CoV-2, viral air-borne transmission occurs early in the infection, before the main symptoms of illness occur. There would, consequently, be no selection pressure on the virus to preserve its host. This is different from the situation of a parasite, like a tape worm, that can live in the digestive system of its host for years, producing eggs. Covid19 has no need to conserve humans, if transmission has already occurred. Humans are plentiful and they conveniently gather together in social groups (e.g. at Christmas parties and Nativity plays).