We were among the first scientists who raised a red flag about the dangers of exerting selective pressure on SARS-CoV-2 by using stressors such as antivirals. This is the reason that about one year ago, we proposed using low dose radiation therapy for COVID-19 associated pneumonia as a selective pressure-free Treatment (https://youtu.be/0D2v4JppWTw). However, a short note that appeared in Science suggests using broad-spectrum antiviral drugs because the drug is incorporated into the viral RNA, inducing mutations and eventually leading to error catastrophe in the virus (DOI: 10.1126/science.368.6490.484-b). So, I would like to know whether antiviral error catastrophe can actually lead to the extinction of SARS-CoV-2? How practical is this method?
The main advantage of error catastrophe-inducing antivirals is their selectivity. They are preferentially recognized by viral polymerases comparing to cellular ones. But even despite this they exert side effects connected with damage of rapidly dividing cells, like anemia.
The radiation will definitely induce the error cayastrophe in viral genome, but with the same efficiency in host one as well. So I do not think this method can be widely applied, just with very strong limitations.
Dear Dr. Vladimir Zarubaev thank you for your insightful comment. I concur with you about the selectivity of error catastrophe-inducing antivirals. However, please note that when we talk about low-dose radiation therapy (LDRT) for COVID-19 associated pneumonia, the doses are much lower than the levels that may cause error catastrophe. While antiviral drugs can exert strong selective pressure on SARS-COV-2, LDRT even does not put selective pressure on the virus. You know well that any attempt to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 exerts strong selective pressure on the virus. Given this consideration, as doses as high as tens of kGy are needed to inactivate viruses, by LDRT, we effectively manage the symptoms and complications of the disease rather than inactivating the virus.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D2v4JppWTw&t=5s