The changes in viral behavior are happening more slowly now, but they're still definitely happening. What do Hungarians think?

At first glance, the SARS-CoV-2 landscape hasn’t changed much since my last updates. We still see several variants competing for dominance depending on the region, such as XEC, LP.8.1, and NB.1.8.1 (Nimbus). The selection pressure no longer appears to be antigen-specific, which explains the rather slow evolutionary dynamics.

It also seems these variants focus more on evading the host’s innate immunity, causing more discomfort at the portal of entry — the first line of immune defense — as seen with Nimbus. Meanwhile, a range of unprecedented cryptic variants are emerging, likely driven by chronically infected individuals.

In my opinion, the next evolutionary step might be the selection of variants that suppress inflammatory signaling, thereby allowing more unrestricted viral replication. Yes, evolution has been relatively slow, but that’s expected with non-antigen-specific selection — it’s just progressing at a slower pace.

Interestingly, factors that reduce viral transmission, like higher temperatures, actually promote natural selection by limiting spread and increasing selective pressure on viral transmission. I’m therefore closely monitoring what will happen in the coming months.

On a different note, I’ll soon be traveling to Hungary with my camper and partner. If you know any interesting places or people there, please let me know. You can always email me at: geert.vandenbossche@live.be.

Take good care,
G