Jizbag said "Are we absolutely sure the vaccines aren't causing the mutations? "
Yes, we are absolutely sure because that is not how viruses work. A virus can only mutate when that virus is replicating in a cell so this happens within the host body. This will happen regardless of whether a vaccine has been injected into the host body.
"But vaccine's are composed of the virus" I hear you say. Well yes and no. None of the available vaccine's contain live virus so therefore there is no chance of a vaccine causing a mutation because there is no live virus to multiply and mutate.
"But what if you have a vaccine, won't the virus mutate to protect itself?" No, this is not how a virus works, it mutates by random chance, much as your cells do when they divide, occasionally a rogue mutation might give rise to cancer or something else. The presence of a vaccine cannot increase the chances of the virus mutating, in fact it reduces it. It doesn't sit there going, "Oh, the immune system is attacking me, I better try something new.".
A virus is likely to evolve into a less deadly but more transmissible variant as a virus that kills it's host quickly is not likely to be passed along so will die out. Variants that are less deadly will, by the process of evolution, become more successful.
"But I've seen stuff on youtube that says differently." Get in the sea.
"Yeah, well I'm allowed my opinion." Yes you are, and it's wrong. Having an opinion does not make you right. Listen to the scientists and virus experts not the nutjobs or Carol who heard something on Facebook.
Yes, we are absolutely sure because that is not how viruses work. A virus can only mutate when that virus is replicating in a cell so this happens within the host body. This will happen regardless of whether a vaccine has been injected into the host body.
"But vaccine's are composed of the virus" I hear you say. Well yes and no. None of the available vaccine's contain live virus so therefore there is no chance of a vaccine causing a mutation because there is no live virus to multiply and mutate.
"But what if you have a vaccine, won't the virus mutate to protect itself?" No, this is not how a virus works, it mutates by random chance, much as your cells do when they divide, occasionally a rogue mutation might give rise to cancer or something else. The presence of a vaccine cannot increase the chances of the virus mutating, in fact it reduces it. It doesn't sit there going, "Oh, the immune system is attacking me, I better try something new.".
A virus is likely to evolve into a less deadly but more transmissible variant as a virus that kills it's host quickly is not likely to be passed along so will die out. Variants that are less deadly will, by the process of evolution, become more successful.
"But I've seen stuff on youtube that says differently." Get in the sea.
"Yeah, well I'm allowed my opinion." Yes you are, and it's wrong. Having an opinion does not make you right. Listen to the scientists and virus experts not the nutjobs or Carol who heard something on Facebook.