save for the common cold, probably the most important coronavirus humans have had to deal with is the avian coronavirus, or the infectious bronchitis virus. spread primarily among the world’s 23 billion chickens, it has proven impossible to eradicate despite the economic losses it imposes on farmers. it is primarily fought not by changing the environment the broiler chicken grows up in, but by providing as many vaccines as is cost effective to limit possible losses. however, because the virus mutates so quickly, grows in a part of the body not commonly reached by antibodies (the upper respiratory tract), and can adopt a huge variety of protein spike formations, it can successfully evade vaccine coverage in a way that viruses that target other parts of the body cannot.
the broiler chicken is one of capitalism’s finest accomplishments. through intensive broiler rearing methods like the battery cage, over 65 billion are slaughtered and consumed each year. there are more broiler chickens on the planet at any given time than any other species. the environment it grows up in is deeply shaped by the requirements of capital, such that not only has its evolutionary profile changed more in the last hundred years than in the prior 10,000, but any aspect of its lifestyle that costs more than absolutely necessary has been completely wiped out. despite the over $17 billion yearly loss ($266 per thousand * 65 billion) from the continual spread of this coronavirus among chickens, it is simply more acceptable for capitalism to mitigate costs through vaccination rather than accept any improvement to the living standards of these chickens.
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