COVID-19 adaptive evolution during the pandemic – Implications of new SARS-CoV-2 variants on public health policies.

Vaccines offer an affordable and highly effective mechanism for delivering immunity without the substantial risks from infection which include acute illness and long COVID. Using coevolutionary and epidemiological theory, we explain the likely long-term consequences of this policy, and we argue for the benefits of "vaccination passports" and childhood vaccination. The development and deployment of effective vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 infection have boosted public confidence and heralded a change in public health policies. Second, relaxing restrictions boosts transmission and allows the virus population to expand, which enhances its adaptive evolutionary potential and increases the risk of vaccine-resistant strains emerging through antigenic drift [[2]]. [Extracted from the article]