True, there's no selective pressure for it to become less lethal.
But I wonder: isn't a random mutation unlikely to improve on any of its profiles (transmissibility or lethality)? If so a more transmissible virus is unlikely to also be more lethal.
What if (not sure) a random mutation actually tends to do slightly worse? Then more transmissible viruses tend to be less lethal over time.
Sure we still get more lethal mutations from time to time, but the more transmissible ones are the ones which win out.
But I wonder: isn't a random mutation unlikely to improve on any of its profiles (transmissibility or lethality)? If so a more transmissible virus is unlikely to also be more lethal.
What if (not sure) a random mutation actually tends to do slightly worse? Then more transmissible viruses tend to be less lethal over time.
Sure we still get more lethal mutations from time to time, but the more transmissible ones are the ones which win out.