4 ms·
Flattening the curve doesn't reduce the total number of infections over the entire period of the pandemic. It just reduces the rate at which people get infected
by jackcviers3 6y ago
Flattening the curve doesn't reduce the total number of infections over the entire period of the pandemic. It just reduces the rate at which people get infected so that resources can be manageable [1]. This does reduce the total number of deaths, however, as more resources are available to help the infected.
1. https://www.wired.com/story/the-promising-math-behind-flattening-the-curve/ https://www.wired.com/story/the-promising-math-behind-flatte...
- treyfitty 6y agoI see what you mean now. I think the sense of urgency placed by politicians is in the right place- some understand that hospitalizations at time t (now) need to be controlled, and they've simplified the language to seem as if they are concerned about infections at this very instance for the sake of brevity. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that reducing infections RIGHT NOW directly leads to reducing hospitalizations, so I can't blame politicians for mixing up the language.