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Then why, after lockdowns were in place, did we build all those field hospitals and ventilators that never got used? I suspect it’s because we expected the “wi

by xienze 7y ago

Then why, after lockdowns were in place, did we build all those field hospitals and ventilators that never got used? I suspect it’s because we expected the “with-lockdown” numbers to be far worse than they actually ended up being. In other words, there was an overreaction, only the degree to which we overreacted is in debate.

pinkfoot 7y ago
This question has an answer: Hospitals and other resources take a finite time to construct and they can only be constructed in linear time. That is to say, the number of new hospitals is not a function of the number of existing hospitals. Now, in contrast the virus grows exponentially and is further aided by a period before symptoms appear and by asymptomatic carriers. As such, when it overwhelms you there is very little you can do to catch in the middle of the fight up without taking draconian methods and accepting enormous number of deaths. Italy and NYC. As such, the prudent course of action - especially for a wealthy country - is to build the additional hospitals and capacity ahead of time, even if - horror - they are never used. A similar comparison is the ridiculous amount of military hardware that is procured and mostly never used. Edit: spelling
- Nasrudith 7y ago
  Yeah that is something about modern war which people don't get - Blitzkrieg is downright sluggish in comparison. Manufacturing doesn't matter. Training time doesn't matter as the war is already decided by then. As tempting as non-standing armies are conceptually for being "non-corrupting" (in the when you have a hammer lots of things look like nails sense) too late even with a draft. At the same time the occupation is still a long slog and there are nuclear deterrants and occasional non-nuclear ones like North Korea's mass of concealed artillery aimed at Seoul. Chances are that if current manufacturing capabilities instead of stockpiles matter both sides should probably truce because both will lose. But if they both had sense they wouldn't be at war.
pbhjpbhj 7y ago
"Aeroplanes that still have fuel in the tank at the end of a journey overstocked, we should take-off with only the exact amount of fuel needed for a perfect journey!" WCGW. /s

by xienze 7y ago

pinkfoot 7y ago

This question has an answer: Hospitals and other resources take a finite time to construct and they can only be constructed in linear time. That is to say, the number of new hospitals is not a function of the number of existing hospitals. Now, in contrast the virus grows exponentially and is further aided by a period before symptoms appear and by asymptomatic carriers. As such, when it overwhelms you there is very little you can do to catch in the middle of the fight up without taking draconian methods and accepting enormous number of deaths. Italy and NYC. As such, the prudent course of action - especially for a wealthy country - is to build the additional hospitals and capacity ahead of time, even if - horror - they are never used. A similar comparison is the ridiculous amount of military hardware that is procured and mostly never used. Edit: spelling

Nasrudith 7y ago
Yeah that is something about modern war which people don't get - Blitzkrieg is downright sluggish in comparison. Manufacturing doesn't matter. Training time doesn't matter as the war is already decided by then. As tempting as non-standing armies are conceptually for being "non-corrupting" (in the when you have a hammer lots of things look like nails sense) too late even with a draft. At the same time the occupation is still a long slog and there are nuclear deterrants and occasional non-nuclear ones like North Korea's mass of concealed artillery aimed at Seoul. Chances are that if current manufacturing capabilities instead of stockpiles matter both sides should probably truce because both will lose. But if they both had sense they wouldn't be at war.

pbhjpbhj 7y ago

"Aeroplanes that still have fuel in the tank at the end of a journey overstocked, we should take-off with only the exact amount of fuel needed for a perfect journey!" WCGW. /s