On Mon, 07 Jun 2021 15:48:07 -0400, FromTheRafters
wrote:

Commander Kinsey formulated on Monday :
Doesn't giving a coronavirus vaccine to everyone increase the chances of the
virus mutating to avoid the vaccine? So we should be using it sparingly.

Good point actually. I questioned this earlier as I was thinking about
in the USA we have basically three vaccines. We have heard about
bacteria being resistant due to overuse of antibacterials and
antibiotics. This is a little different.

The greatest threat is in the unvaccinated population who continue to
harbor the virus, there will always be some for one reason or another.
The bigger the host population the more the viruses environment shapes
the newer generations. Resistance can build.

The other point is, vaccinated people can still host the virus and
spread it to others, they are just less likely to get the serious
disease outcome than the unvaccinated. This is no magic bullet, it is
just another common-sense weapon in the battle against the virus.
A vaccinated person MAY be able to "host' the virus but it is
unlikely to reproduce at a sufficient rate to either cause the disease
or pass on to another host.

What we need to understand is the virus uses the host as a "factory"
to reproduce itself. It is the reproduction of the virus that causes
the "disease" and causes the damage to the host. Little or no
reproduction means little or no "disease" or "infection" and therefore
also a low probability of passing it on.

Is it POSSIBLE? Yes - at least theoretically. Is it PROBABLE? Not
really. Because it IS possible we take precautions - making the
probability even lower.

The more people infected - and the longer they remain infected, the
more likely another mutation will occur.
Vaccinated hosts are much less likely to produce a mutation than an
unvaccinated host because mutations are "manufacturing errors" -
"factory seconds" if you like. - or "defects"
MANY mutations cause the virus to not be able to replicate and
therefore fie. Others will be much less infrctious and also therefore
die out. Then ther are the ones that get "supercharged" in one way or
another getting more infectious and more dangerous