3 ms·
"So far" meaning "might save more later" or "only postponed, not prevented"?
by sukilot 6y ago
"So far" meaning "might save more later" or "only postponed, not prevented"?
- oarabbus_ 6y agoThe latter. That's always what "flattening the curve" has meant. The total area under the curve (i.e. total unique infected individuals) stays about the same.
- thephyber 6y ago"Flattening the curve" is not the only possible outcome. A cure, an inoculation, or segmenting geographic regions until localized herd immunity (like New Zealand just did) are all examples of cutting the curve short.
- oarabbus_ 6y agoVaccines are far away from approval for widespread use, and New Zealand's situation as an island nation is not applicable to something like 98% of the World's population and quite frankly, irrelevant to the discussion.
- LorenPechtel 6y agoBy now we have learned that masks + distancing is enough to stop this (Drive R0 below 1, it will die out in time.) If we were serious about doing these things the cases--and deaths--would be prevented, not merely postponed.