"The total number of people getting sick is not reduced by that." Correct, or at least possibly so. But by flattening the curve you can greatly increase then

"The total number of people getting sick is not reduced by that." Correct, or at least possibly so. But by flattening the curve you can greatly increase then number of people that survive. Entering respiratory distress because of serious case of corona virus in a overburdened hospital is likely to be fatal. Much less so if there's a bed in the pneumonia ward for you. Also early treatments are showing promise, in particular zinc + the malaria drug.