This conversation was led by Jessica Metcalf, Associate Professor of Ecology, Evolutionary Biology & Public Affairs at Princeton, and Ian Miller, PhD Candidate at Princeton. The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 virulence, or lethality, threatens to exacerbate the burden of COVID-19 on society. How might COVID-19 vaccines alter selection for increased SARS-CoV-2 virulence? We work to frame current evidence surrounding SARS-CoV-2 biology and COVID-19 vaccines in the context of evolutionary theory to explore prospects for virulence evolution, concluding that vast uncertainty remains.
Resources discussed:
- Miller and Metcalf 2022, “Assessing the risk of vaccine-driven virulence evolution in SARS-CoV-2”
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