DoomYoshi wrote:jimboston wrote:
You can’t actually believe what you’re typing here...do you?
The two goals are incompatible with each other. You can't simultaneously want people to be infected at a slower pace and not want them to be infected at all.
The initial goal of ‘Flattening the Curve’ was NEVER to “make sure everyone got infected just at a slower pace.”
The initial goal was to slow the spread so that the number infected at any one time is below the threshold where our healthcare system can handle the serious (hospitalization required) cases without breaking; while still operating in a manner whereby it can handle non-Covid injuries and illnesses.
By flattening the curve we keep our economy and system operating in as normal a manner as possible, until such time as we either;
- achieve a level of herd immunity where the rate of infection [R(0) subset] is less than 1.0
- develop a vaccine
When the virus hit the US no one knew wether or not herd immunity was a “thing”. The most current data seems to suggest it is not, and that people can get re-infected over time. There’s also the possibility of further mutation in the virus that could impact both immunity AND vaccine effectiveness.
At no point did anyone in a position of knowledge and authority ever suggest that our goal should be to make sure everyone is infected.
(I exclude any random Trump tweet as he doesnt have the knowledge... unable to absorb it.)