Did Coronavirus Variants Really Emerge from Vaccine Clinical Trials?
To answer this, we must grasp the interplay between vaccine-induced selection pressure and viral evolution.
There’s an uncanny observation that the SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs)— Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta — arose soon after the vaccine clinical trials in the same countries. As a result, some have speculated that the trials instigated the evolution of those VOCs. Let’s see if they have a point.
Variants of concern (VOCs) emergence and vaccine clinical trials
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines VOCs as mutated SARS-CoV-2 that has one or more of the following features: (i) more transmissible, (ii) more virulent that causes more severe disease, or (iii) more problematic in terms of making public health measures— such as diagnostic tests, drugs, or vaccines — less effective.
(SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, is what causes the coronavirus disease 2019, Covid-19. For simplicity, all variants, including VOCs, mentioned hereon belong to SARS-CoV-2.)
At present, four VOCs exist:
- Alpha (lineage B.1.1.7) emerged in the U.K. around November 2020. It’s…
