3 ms·
China acted before having the full picture. We still don’t have the full picture, but this is looking to be much milder than originally feared.
by nostromo 7y ago
China acted before having the full picture.
We still don’t have the full picture, but this is looking to be much milder than originally feared.
- katmannthree 7y agoI wouldn't bet on that. China halted it with extremely drastic measures, quite possibly more than we'd be able to muster in the US. Not that many people here have sick leave, and few can afford to not work for a month. Given how virulent this is and the statistic that 20% of cases require medical attention, once the hospitals fill this could get quite ugly. Compounding that is the US government's response, which has been quite weak so far.
- gdubs 7y agoThis is something we’ll really only know in hindsight, but it’s reminiscent of the reaction post-y2k. People put in a lot of work to ensure there wasn’t a crisis, but the media narrative was that it was an overreaction (igniting all the work put in). China — and this is not meant to give them a pass on all sorts of errors and shortcomings — took fairly dramatic measures and were well equipped. My concern with this virus compared to SARS is that it spreads much easier, making the problem one of infrastructure and capacity to deal with a large number of cases all at once. E.g., how quickly can we ramp up to deal with a potential outbreak at scale in terms of ventilator beds, etc. And if not for this, then the next one. Coronavirus has raised a lot of questions about our preparedness and strategy for coping with a pandemic — and personally it feels like we’re sleepwalking a bit here in the West.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]