If it’s true that the Russian flu was actually a coronavirus that evolved into OC43 (now endemic), then I’m not too worried about covid becoming “just another endemic coronavirus”. The vaccines are simply a way of speeding up the process in a way that minimizes deaths.
Not to dismiss your concerns, but I’m not sweating variants. I do make a point to mask up when I’m in an enclosed public space.
Convergent evolution. The variants aren’t very variable from one another (and they’ve had a lot of time to diversify):
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-coronavirus-variants-dont-seem-to-be-highly-variable-so-far/
New variants seem to arise in people who are severely immunocompromised. (“supermutators” if you will)
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/covid-variants-may-arise-in-people-with-compromised-immune-systems/
It is unlikely that we will ever eradicate covid, unless we:
a) start putting salt licks in our backyards and declare open season on does and fawns:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/30/science/white-tailed-deer-coronavirus.html
and
b) start treating our wastewater with rat poison:
https://www.thecity.nyc/2021/7/29/22600656/covid-mutations-in-new-york-city-sewage-possible-dog-rat
If it’s true that the Russian flu was actually a coronavirus that evolved into OC43 (now endemic), then I’m not too worried about covid becoming “just another endemic coronavirus”. The vaccines are simply a way of speeding up the process in a way that minimizes deaths.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7252012/