Outbreaks are like a test where there are the same questions and the same answers each time
1. Autocracies hide infections. Viruses just love this and multiply
2. No one gets to tell a virus who is boss. Opening the economy doesn't shoo away a virus; it squashes the economy

3. More cases means more infectious contacts between people and more transmission up until the point the network is saturated. With COVID, this tipping point, or herd immunity threshold, comes only after an unconscionable number of deaths.

4. Crossing out fingers doesn't stop disease spread. Contact tracing and identifying, isolating, and quarantining to prevent every last infection does.
5. In an outbreak surge, testing and contact tracing is can be drowned out by the need for treatment and isolation of the sick.