So who are these "leading scientists" who don't seem to understand one of the basic applications of evolutionary biology to pathogens? Both greater contagion and lower virulence are adaptive for pathogens, which is why omicron -- more contagious and less virulent than previous variants -- is the dominant variant now. They purport to believe that more virulent, and thus less adaptively fit, variants will somehow displace it, and would have us believe this as the basis for continued panic.