Could this latest virus variant be deadly enough to kill

[Tribetime]

Millions of Republicans. I mean Fox News and others are acting like it's a hoax

[Ocelot II]

1. A doctor in South Africa has reported that the cases they've seen so far have been milder.

We'll see if that continues.

[ProfessorGAC]

2. I Saw A Virologist From Northwestern...

...on channel 9 news in Chicago predict that this highly mutated variant would be less virulent.
This was a week to 10 days ago.
He wasn't guaranteeing anything; admitting it was an educated guess.
So far, he sounds like he knows his stuff.
I forget his name, but he's been interviewed on WGN News many times during the pandemic. I have found him impressive on several appearances.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Seems more transmissible and less potent. Can only say "seems" because it is so new.

I am not a doctor or epidemiologist and I don't play one on TV.

[FreeState]

12. It's too early to say that

The spikes in the data for cases and deaths have gone up sharply (with what little data we have):

https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/south-africa/

[Ocelot II]

13. Like I said, we'll have to see where this goes.

[Bev54]

3. In Canada, we have put a travel ban on to Southern African countries

but our medical scientist said it is too early to tell whether it is really a threat or not. He said it has the footprint that could cause many different mutants, but they have not seen proof that it is more deadly or more transmissible yet. They are being cautious but they just do not know yet and whether our current vaccines will be effective against it.

[bucolic_frolic]

4. We need a mutant strain that targets the angry and only the angry

That should solve it.

[Shermann]

7. What about those with manufactured anger?

[brooklynite]

8. The deaths of "millions" would have a huge political and economic impact on the Country...

I trust nobody would be foolish enough to wish for that.

[Tribetime]

10. Millions of people now are dying without health insurance coverage

Millions of people are in poverty because of the Republicans millions of people are filing bankruptcy because of their medical bills

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

9. Most viruses evolve, and often very quickly, to be far less deadly or virulent

over time.

The very best example is smallpox. In the late 19th century two different variants evolved in two different parts of the world. This new version, known as variola minor compared to the original version, known as variola major. Major frequently killed, and often left people badly scarred. With minor, people were not as sick, never scarred, rarely died, and were still immune to major. Basically, it was becoming a childhood disease, rather than a terrible, frequently fatal disease. Around that time, vaccinations got better and became common, and smallpox, which now only exists in a few laboratories.

Covid is more quickly moving in that direction.

[roamer65]

11. Similar path to the 1918 flu pandemic virus.

Eventuallly mutated to the virulence of a normal seasonal flu virus, around late 1919 to early 1920.

2-3 years.