From HIV to COVID-19, Molecular mechanisms of pathogens’ trade-off and persistence in the community, potential targets for new drug development

Abstract

After the discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron, that sporadically arose in November 2021, it was compared to the Delta variant that was discovered in May 2021 in terms of virulence and transmissibility. While Omicron has shown higher rates of transmission than the other variants, it showed less virulent symptoms with relatively mild disease. The Delta variant, however, has been associated with high virulence causing severe lower respiratory tract symptoms and reduced transmission rate (Kumar et al. 2021). This leaves us wondering; does COVID-19 agree with the trade-off hypothesis?