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Is the main goal just to delay the widespread infection until we have a vaccine produced? It seems like this was always an impossible goal. So does it even mat

Is the main goal just to delay the widespread infection until we have a vaccine produced? It seems like this was always an impossible goal. So does it even matter when this goes pandemic? Sure, more preparation would get us more masks or something, but anything that would really help?

npunt 7y ago
Think about capacity and throughput of hospitals. If everyone gets it all at once, they'll be overwhelmed and many people will die, since severe cases often need respirators, drugs, and close monitoring. The goal is to smooth out the cases over a longer period so we're less capacity limited. That means everyone taking extreme precaution with hygiene.
- earthtourist 7y ago
  Has this ever been done for any pandemic virus? We have a "flu season" where hospitals are flooded every year. From what I read, there's not even a strong immunity after being infected with this virus, so won't people just get re-infected? It doesn't seem like there's any version of this where things are not terrible for a while. I hope I'm wrong though.
  - npunt 7y ago
    Yes, we can lower the R0 infection rate and smooth it out over a longer period of time by adopting better hygiene practices and making behavior changes. You're seeing that right now as different countries mobilize and react differently. If your re-infected comment is regarding the reports of people getting it a second time, I believe that's been debunked and is an artifact of imperfect tests rather than the virus itself. What I've read from multiple sources is that SARS family coronaviruses are pretty stable evolutionarily, so once you have immunity you should be able to fight it off in the future. This is in contrast to influenza which evolves quickly, which is why 'the big one' in pandemics is much more likely to be influenza (or a bacteria) rather than coronaviruses. See also: Spanish Flu, Black Death
    - earthtourist 7y ago
      Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I was basing the immunity question on comments from doctors like the below quote. It sounds like one won't easily be re-infected with the same strain? But if it mutates later, or your antibodies diminish, then you could get re-infected? That doesn't sound as bad as being stuck in an infinite loop of re-infection. If you survive, are you immune? People who are infected and then recover will likely show some immunity to the virus. But it’s not lifelong. It wanes over time. If it’s seasonal, it may ebb and flow. https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/11/coronavirus-the-8-big-questions-that-scientists-are-asking/ https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/11/coronavirus-the-8-big...
      - npunt 7y ago
        It seems that way but I’m not sure honestly, this is past the limits of my knowledge. Probably good to keep an eye on the subject though since it may affect our behavioral choices.
deleted 7y ago
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npunt 7y ago

Think about capacity and throughput of hospitals. If everyone gets it all at once, they'll be overwhelmed and many people will die, since severe cases often need respirators, drugs, and close monitoring. The goal is to smooth out the cases over a longer period so we're less capacity limited. That means everyone taking extreme precaution with hygiene.

earthtourist 7y ago
Has this ever been done for any pandemic virus? We have a "flu season" where hospitals are flooded every year. From what I read, there's not even a strong immunity after being infected with this virus, so won't people just get re-infected? It doesn't seem like there's any version of this where things are not terrible for a while. I hope I'm wrong though.
- npunt 7y ago
  Yes, we can lower the R0 infection rate and smooth it out over a longer period of time by adopting better hygiene practices and making behavior changes. You're seeing that right now as different countries mobilize and react differently. If your re-infected comment is regarding the reports of people getting it a second time, I believe that's been debunked and is an artifact of imperfect tests rather than the virus itself. What I've read from multiple sources is that SARS family coronaviruses are pretty stable evolutionarily, so once you have immunity you should be able to fight it off in the future. This is in contrast to influenza which evolves quickly, which is why 'the big one' in pandemics is much more likely to be influenza (or a bacteria) rather than coronaviruses. See also: Spanish Flu, Black Death
  - earthtourist 7y ago
    Thanks for the thoughtful reply! I was basing the immunity question on comments from doctors like the below quote. It sounds like one won't easily be re-infected with the same strain? But if it mutates later, or your antibodies diminish, then you could get re-infected? That doesn't sound as bad as being stuck in an infinite loop of re-infection. If you survive, are you immune? People who are infected and then recover will likely show some immunity to the virus. But it’s not lifelong. It wanes over time. If it’s seasonal, it may ebb and flow. https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/11/coronavirus-the-8-big-questions-that-scientists-are-asking/ https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/02/11/coronavirus-the-8-big...
    - npunt 7y ago
      It seems that way but I’m not sure honestly, this is past the limits of my knowledge. Probably good to keep an eye on the subject though since it may affect our behavioral choices.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]