Interesting:
Getting vaccinated applies a selection pressure, because mutations that help a virus avoid detection by the vaccinated immune system will have an advantage over versions of the virus that don’t include that mutation. So, a virus that contains that mutation is more likely to reproduce and spread to other people.
In most viruses and disease-causing bacteria, the use of treatments and vaccines causes them to evolve ways of escaping them so they can continue to spread. Those that develop resistance to a treatment or can hide from the immune system will survive for longer to replicate and so spread their genetic material.
Immunizing about 60 percent of a population within about a year, and keeping the number of cases down while that happens, will help minimize the chances of the virus mutating significantly.
Ultimately, COVID-19 continues to spread across the globe and more new infections means more opportunities for SARS-CoV-2 to evolve. The virus can't evolve without us -- indeed, it can't survive without us. The simplest way to prevent new variants from emerging is preventing the virus from spreading at all. Our efforts will need to be focused on speeding up the vaccine rollout across the globe and continuing to practice the distancing and hygiene measures we're already adept at.
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