[Catalist] So, is COVID19 driving evolution of other human pathogens? A teachers perspective

[Leon Harris]

I have been sick for 4 days now. Last week, one of my students sneezed 
straight into my face, and I copped a full blast at point blank range.
It occurs to me that this COVID-19 may be driving evolution of other 
pathogens. Our behavioural response to COVID19 has been to increase 
social distancing, pay attention to hand hygiene, and to take days off 
work with early-stage illnesses. (The work culture has completely 
changed - the 2018 two Codrols and soldier on approach has turned you 
from a martyr to a leper !)
So ....
Will COVID-19 drive greater infectiousness amongst other diseases? (eg, 
increased R0, selection for aerosol dispersal?)
Given that co-infection with viruses is relatively rare as the first 
infection tends to increase the innate defenses, is it possible that 
when we lose all the weak viruses we select for the nastier ones? And 
that by not having a collection of weak viruses "conditioning us" that 
our overall viral defenses are lessened (ie, we get a double whammy?).
If this is the case, I'd expect that the frequency of uncontrollable 
sneezing and coughing will increase in next years lergies, as compared 
to those in 2018.
In any case, I don't blame the kid who inflicted this plague on me. If 
my hunch is correct, he would have had no idea he was about to sneeze 
until he started to speak to me.

As teachers, we each are like hyper-connected nodes in a network of 
disease. We each directly interact with about 100 students per day, 
sometimes more. In the typical 1200-2600 student school, we act as 
antennae for every lergie that afflicts our society. I'd like to see if 
we are getting any change in the patterns of illness at school. That 
last disease-free winter (2020) was marvelous, but I fear that it won't 
be the new norm.

Ciao for now,
Typhoid Leon

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