NotAnotherEmpire t1_j7hzrjv wrote
Reply to comment by Seicair in (Virology) Has SARS-CoV-2 outcompeted all the other coronaviruses which have been called the ‘common cold’? by jsgui
If Alpha had evolved gradually the UK or Denmark would have seen it with their massive surveillance programs. No one's reported an Alpha-in-progress.
Alpha had far more than the expected number of mutations and was materially different in behavior. Fortunately it didn't matter for vaccine targeting.
Seicair t1_j7i4yh9 wrote
I somehow never heard that. I remember hearing Omicron came out of left field and it was thought to have evolved in an immunocompromised patient due to the sheer number of mutations. I thought Alpha and Beta were two notable strains that were more successful than other small mutations. Now that I look though, I see AB both have a significant number of mutations, just the spike was mostly unchanged.
Fascinating. I studied some microbiology/immunology in school, I would’ve liked to have delved deeper.
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