“vaccinating all during an epidemic creates the ability for a virus to create mutants”
This is one of the more ridiculous assertions floating around here.
SARS-2 is an RNA virus, and RNA viruses are the champions of transcription error. Which results in mutations. RNA doesn’t have the error-checking ability of DNA.
“The delta variant was first detected in India in October 2020, meaning it arose before vaccination began.”
https://www.newscientist.com/definition/indian-covid-19-variant-b-1-617/
I guess my classes in epidemiology and control of an infectious disease within a population is archaic or no longer in vogue. I was first taught that vaccination in the midst of an epidemic is folly. The selections of mutations that survive the mRNA occurs with the mRNA treatment. Also the variants can occur in several places at the same time due to the rapidity of the mutating Coronavirus. Coronaviruses can mutate in such a way they can avoid the mRNA that is used within the mRNA "vaccine".