Ask HN: Why don't we just stop Covid by

creating our own mutation that is highly contagious and extremely dominant. But harmless to humans...

You're only asking this question because we're in a mass hysteria (see also: "mass formation"). Why didn't we do what you're suggesting during the HK flu in 1968-69? Because it simply wasn't very dangerous, and there isn't much to do about respiratory viruses, so we just took our lumps and got on with life without devastating liberty or the global economy.

We could have done that this time, too, and should have, but central planners needed something to use as an excuse to "reimagine" things without having to go through all the trouble of gaining our approval and consent.

I agree, but there is also a risk of mutations of the new virus. I'll copy one of my comments in a similar question:

Using "live" virus is a problem. For example there are two versions of the polio vaccine. The injectable uses inactivated ("dead") virus, and the oral uses weakened("live") virus.

Both are safe, but in the oral one the virus can go to another person and cause no problems, and then to another and cause no problems, and after like a year jumping hosts it can mutate and become dangerous. Now most of the the polio cases are caused by virus that mutated from the version of the vaccine. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polio_vaccine#Vaccine-induced_...

The number is much smaller that the number of cases before the vaccine, but it's concerning anyway. So they are trying to discontinue the use of the vaccine with the weakened virus, but the it's better when most of the population is not vaccinated. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polio_vaccine#Schedule

So ... probably the authorization and test necessaries to use a new vaccine with and attenuated virus are more difficult than a vaccine with an inactivated virus (or a vector virus, of mRNA, that also can't spread).

Helps to be fully vaccinated and ensure vitamin D is optimum. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7973108/