So what? He describes regular accumulation of non adaptive mutations with time, which is exactly what GE is all about.
I think in this case virulence is a good proxy of fitness.
This is expected under the genetic entropy paradigm for the number of mutations accumulated in the viral genome in 1918 would be less than some years later.
As Sanford explains in GE, the answer is well know to microbiologists - viruses and bacteria can persist for very long periods of time in a dormant state and can re-emerge from « natural reservoirs ».
Wrong. See my comments above.
Bottom line. Sanford is a highly competent geneticist and his scientific integrity cannot be denied. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can’t be wrong.