A guy I know from my days in the service just emailed me to say "Flattening the curve is such BS, everyone's still going to get this virus," and I'm just... well, not speechless, because that rarely happens to me.

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I'm assuming he's getting most of his news from right-wing sources. No one I know thinks that flattening the curve is going to vastly reduce the number of people who get this virus.

(2)

The point has been to reduce _deaths_ from C19 that would be contributed to by the collapse of our healthcare systems. We're still going to see a LOT of deaths,

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but if you get this next November, after the surge, there's a good chance you'll be treated by a crack team of newly-minted C19 experts; doctors & nurses, many of whom will have already had the virus, and who will know how to treat you.

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They won't be trying to treat you in a hospital where the staff is exhausted & every room is full. You will likely have a room, and not find yourself being treated in a tent or in a cube in the convention center.

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I wouldn't be surprised if we see dedicated coronavirus hospitals for a few years. Until there's an effective vaccine that's been distributed worldwide, we're going to want to keep separate CV facilities where we can.

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People are still going to need treatment for every other ill & ailment we had before; you can't have them terrified of going to the hospital.

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Anyway, my point is; flattening the curve doesn't mean stopping the spread. It means slowing it enough to let us develop coping strategies & build resources. If anyone in the media is promising a return to pre-C19 normalcy this year, they're selling you something.

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