The Start

Will Covid 19 end humans? My daughter said during the pandemic that she would hate to be inside my head. Yeah, right now, me too. Take a look, if you dare.

It started as what looked like another SARS outbreak in China. A few thousand—China’s problem. Now COVID 19 has killed almost 3 million worldwide, infected over 183 million.( worldometers statistics) That leaves a mere 7.7 billion people to get infected. If 5 billion would have gotten vaccinated by three months ago, we might have a prayer. But only 1.2 billion are fully vaccinated, less than 16% of the world population. 7.7 minus 1.2 is still 5.5 billion people as potential candidates for infection. COVID 19 mutates frequently, now with a delta variant that has overcome the vaccine enough to make vaccinated people still infectious, though currently still extremely safe from severe symptoms or death. But there are other variants coming that will be resistant to the vaccines. Yes, it is inevitable.

Mutations are the Key

Realize that 5.5 billion tubes of viral fertilizer broth are a recipe for a kazillion more mutations. The whole purpose of viral mutations is to find a more survivable form—i.e., one that can infect more humans. Period. It can infect more if the mutation is not susceptible to the current vaccines. And if you think that mutation is not coming, you are dreaming.

It seems contrary to our knowledge of survival for the virus to destroy its host. But it doesn’t care if a lot of hosts die. The virus only cares if it can infect more. Once the hosts are all gone—well it will just start infecting pigs or cows. There are a lot of them around.

Could YOU be immune from COVID 19?

So, maybe you believe you are immune from this virus. Your immune system keeps you from getting colds, or pneumonia. What about measles, chickenpox, mumps, diphtheria, tuberculosis, black death, smallpox? Maybe you forgot that you got immunizations as a child against most of these, and that smallpox was virtually wiped out because of vaccination. But first we had to study these diseases and understand them, then develop treatments and vaccinations. Treatment of smallpox after you get it—you might as well count on dying. But prevention? Getting a vaccine will save 95% of those who get it.(smallpox vaccine facts ) Just like the COVID 19 vaccine. Right now. But, in two months? Might be too late. I wonder if in humans, survival of the fittest means those that are the smartest, not those with the best immune system? The smartest would get the vaccine as soon as it became available.

Humans Will Always Win, Right?

Then, you say, we beat the plague, influenza pandemic 1918 etc. Human beings will always win. But, did you remember, there weren’t millions of people flying on planes to other parts of the world every day during the Plague or Influenza Pandemic of 1918? Yes, there were anti-maskers and anti-vaccine people in 1918, but now there are billions of them, not a few hundred thousand. Makes for a lot more petri dishes for COVID 19 to party on. Yes, party ON.

For me, I’m glad I had a few months of back to normal after I got the vaccine. Now, my pandemic depression is already coming back. As a doctor, I know what is coming. Unless there is some miracle like somehow the virus jumps from humans to prefer mosquitoes, human beings may be seeing their last few years on planet Earth.

The End Game

This is the scenario as I see it. This is not science fiction. The next mutation will be resistant to our current vaccines and be here by 2022. It will kill a billion before we have another vaccine. Then, once again, a large percent of humans will not get the new vaccine, another half billion die. Then another mutation will be resistant to that vaccine, then ….

You see where this is going. A billion or so dead every year after this. In about five—ten years at the longest—everyone will be gone. If you have a doomsday shelter, you should go there now. If you don’t, which 99.9% of the planet does not, time to be with the ones you love, enjoy every minute. Wear a mask, vaccinate as soon as possible with every new vaccine. Try to get Elon Musk or whichever billionaire you can convince, to put you on their doomsday flight to Mars. But I wouldn’t count on going if you’re not vaccinated. Or, if you are a virologist, please come up with a way to get COVID 19 to not infect humans. Ever again. Yeah, I know. Not possible. Pardon me while I bend over and kiss … Right after I meditate on the value of life.

Maybe You Want Us to Die

Oh, yeah, if you are anti-mask and anti-vaccine, just know you are contributing to the end of the human race, not to mention those close to you. Long before climate change. Oh wait, climate change will be gone once we lose a few billion more people.

Surely I’m Pessimistic

Well, okay. That was too pessimistic that Covid 19 will end humans in 5-10 years, right? We only lost 3 million in 18 months, so a billion per year? Yeah. Hyperbole. Surely a lot of people will start wearing masks again and will get vaccines. Possibly we will come up with a new type of mask to wear that is easier and gains popularity. Nose filters like in the sci-fi movie Ultraviolet. Or clear face coverings enclosing our heads like in Grey’s Anatomy. Or maybe scientists will figure out a DNA manipulation to give all new babies a new viral filtration or viral antibodies. And, possibly science will come up with a pill we can take to cure COVID once we get it. So, I guess, don’t worry. We’ll still have billions of humans in five years.

Yeah. Uh, Huh.

But I’m still going to contact Elon Musk. He could always use another doctor.

             Milt Mays, MD

P.S. Don’t forget to look at the Free–yes, free–short stories at the top of the right column.