A potential issue with the increasing number of patients with covid is the potential for mutations. Sars family of virus (includes Covid) are typically slow to mutate because it's hosts (animals and people) have no ability to fight it. It does experience a mutation rate of 21/20,000 (.00105%) to 63/50,000 (.00126%) from this article Covid Mutations. Not much research has been done on the Sars virus family since it was contained in 2004. Covid (SARS-CoV-2 virus) is a betacoronavirus, like MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV. All three of these viruses have their origins in bats. With the chance of containment long gone and it's aggressive infection rate the virus is poised to be spreading at an accelerated rate as social restrictions are relaxed. There will be a race to get a viable vaccine before variants emerge and get a foothold. One report I read cited contact tracing is very important now to quarantine contacts so that anyone harboring a covid 19 variant does not spread.
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Just what our country needs Justification for "tagging" us all to keep track of us. As if GPS on phones isn't invasive enough.
There is a multi prong approach relax restrictions/see increase in infections/treat ill quarantine ultimately find vaccine (if can be developed). Lets hope the asymptomativ infected do not unwittingly speard the virus and or mutant strain(s).
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Won't happen unless testing is vastly expanded to ALL people, not just the "essentials"
Regardless, older or infirm people should still maintain prevention (distancing) and everyone else should strive to minimize interaction and everyone should still be washing hand and things brought into homes and even wear masks.
