Sarah Cobey, PhD
Associate Professor of Ecology and Evolution
University of Chicago
The risk of vaccine-induced evolution in SARS-CoV-2
Concerns about selection for escape mutations in SARS-CoV-2 have complicated discussions of vaccination strategies. These concerns derive from theory and empirical observations of escape in other pathogens from vaccines and antimicrobials. Drawing from evolutionary theory and simulations of antigenically evolving pathogens under vaccine-induced immune selection, I will argue that vaccination should generally be expected to slow the rate of adaptation in SARS-CoV-2. Uncertainty increases the importance of measuring selective pressures on SARS-CoV-2 and improving basic knowledge of viral evolution and immunity.
