Flattening the Curve: Overrated?

[blackeagle603]

Other than managing to local/regional medical capacity -- how flat is flat enough?

Gonna have to peel the bandaide off fast, or slow. Either way it hurts. It just hurts different due to the shape of the curve.

But here’s the thing – social distancing provides the illusion of control, not actual control, over this virus.

There is no vaccine. Flattening the curve simply kicks the can down the road. It’s not like we go on lockdown for a few weeks while doctors go door to door inoculating us.

And that’s coming from someone that is actively practicing it. Our house is on lock down. We’re working from home. We only leave to grab essentials and come back. I stay six feet away from people. My parents cancelled a visit as they drove home to PA from Florida.

Here is the question that no one has answered to my satisfaction – can you describe to me what the successful lifting of quarantine looks like?

RTWT

[Weetabix]

Excellent article, BE. I find myself sympathetic to many of its arguments and observations.

[Termite]

Israeli scientists say vaccine to be tested on humans by June 1.
MIGAL and IIBR are both testing potential COVID-19 vaccinations on mammals.

The Jerusalem Post

If it is a viable vaccine, I hope Bibi remembers the country that has had their back since......about 1948.

[randy]

Israeli scientists say vaccine to be tested on humans by June 1.
MIGAL and IIBR are both testing potential COVID-19 vaccinations on mammals.

The Jerusalem Post

If it is a viable vaccine, I hope Bibi remembers the country that has had their back since......about 1948.

Well, except for that little hiccup during 2009-2016

[Netpackrat]

Maybe wishful thinking on my part, but I suspect there will be a vaccine in use sooner than most of the predictions. The stops will be pulled out.

[Vonz90]

Two entirely different takes on how it spreads

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world- ... s-21805392

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/ ... theses.php

[Netpackrat]

Two entirely different takes on how it spreads

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world- ... s-21805392

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/ ... theses.php

There is a publicized case of a church in WA that decided to go forward with its choir practice... They maintained distance, refrained from touching, etc. Now 3/4 of them are infected and some are dead.

[Vonz90]

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/coro ... -nxz23qdl0

[Vonz90]

An interesting take on ventilators. https://spectator.us/ventilators-arent- ... ronavirus/

[Langenator]

I'm sure if I wanted to spend a bunch of time digging through the stats collected by Johns Hopkins, CDC, or some such entity, I could probably find this, but I'd be really interested in seeing an breakdown of the hospitalization and death rates, not only by age and sex, but things like smokers (to include habitual weed and other drug smokers), race/national origin, homelessness, air quality index where they live and work, etc.

There was a very interesting question asked by Sarah Hoyt, why aren't the homeless dying in droves? Other than living outside (a risk reducer), they tend to live in crappy conditions, have limited access to medical care, and tend to have some level of immunocomprise and probably other medical complications. Oh, and they tend to live in urban areas. So why aren't we hearing about them dying by the hundreds and thousands? (Ms. Hoyt actually wrote an article, but it's paywalled.)

NYC has the most cases by sheer number, but apparently New Orleans has the highest per capita rate of infection (the fact that it's a festering cesspool, located in the middle of a swamp, has always made public health there an extra level of fun.)