[dmitrybrant]

New variants of viruses can arise at any point in the future, regardless of what we do. Any flu season in any previous year in history could have produced a deadly variant, and yet we went on with our lives.

I think this is simply about reassessing our risk calculus with the fact that the current Covid variant is mild enough that it can be gradually folded into the background noise of seasonal viruses that we deal with every year.

[immibis]

I remember at least two flu seasons where flu variants named after certain animals caused people to not simply go on with their lives. Do you remember those?

[kevingadd]

If you don't have any cases you won't get any new variants, because variants arise when the virus mutates while reproducing in the human body. More cases = more opportunities for a mutation that produces a more dangerous variant.

[standardsam]

Covid is here to stay, and you can be expect to be infected with it every few years. You probably won't even know it's covid because we will have stopped routine testing. Talk about having zero cases is ridiculous and fanciful.