Pi in the Sky

A few have mused that Covid-ο-BA.2 will, in due time, become Covid-π (assuming, of course, that WHO doesn't want to embarrass bakers). I surely agree. The documented structural differences make that proper. Whether Covid-π follows the Constant Power^© protocol is yet to be known. The reports so far are divided: some find Covid-π more virulent, others (in line with experience) that it does as successful Covids do, trade virulence for contagion.

However, there's mixed evidence on the severity of BA.2 in the real world. Hospitalizations continue to decline in countries where BA.2 has gained a foothold, like South Africa and the UK. But in Denmark, where BA.2 has become the leading cause of infections, hospitalizations and deaths are rising, according to WHO.

Me? I'm a betting kind of guy, but not DraftKings. Given the established spectrum of coronaviruses from common cold (4 varieties), to SARS and MERS, which is to say from highly contagious and benign to lethal and limited in time and space, and the established Covids from Covid-ο to Covid-ε (much the same) it appears most likely that Covid-π will favor contagion. As mentioned more than once in these missives, the middle of the spectrum is a bit muddy; both contagion and virulence could move in tandem in that sub-space since the Darwinist imperative doesn't have a knife edge.