Re:Sweden to shut bars and restaurants that ignore coronavir...
by SpicyLemonZest on Friday April 24, 2020 @12:17PM
(#22969705)
The reason you've had to point that out many times is that it no longer matches common usage. Most people who use "flatten the curve" nowadays insist that it is about an alternative to herd immunity, that herd immunity is absolutely unacceptable and we can't permit it. (You're right that this is not originally what the phrase meant.)
Re:Sweden to shut bars and restaurants that ignore coronavir...
by notacoward on Friday April 24, 2020 @12:33PM
(#22969923)
> Most people who use "flatten the curve" nowadays insist that it is about an alternative
That has absolutely not been my impression, but they're probably both matters of perspective - who we talk to, what sources we read, and so on. To the extent that people do think of it as an alternative, that makes me sad.
Re:Sweden to shut bars and restaurants that ignore coronavir...
by soperj on Friday April 24, 2020 @12:31PM
(#22969894)
Herd immunity might not even be possible.
Other coronavirus immunity lasts on average a year. There are other viruses like HIV where you can't get herd immunity.
Re:Sweden to shut bars and restaurants that ignore coronavir...
by microtherion on Friday April 24, 2020 @12:56PM
(#22970269)
> There are other viruses like HIV where you can't get herd immunity.
Well, maybe if we had just engaged in a vigorous program of needle sharing and unprotected sex, we'd eventually have gotten there.
Time's already up.
As I've had to point out many times, "get to herd immunity faster" doesn't just mean let everyone get sicker sooner. The whole "flattening the curve" thing is not about an alternative to herd immunity. It's about getting there in a humane way that doesn't overwhelm health care and disproportionately affect some groups - the elderly, minorities, people with other health conditions, people who have no choice but to work and expose themselves more. "Let the chips fall where they may" is a recipe for excessive and unevenly distributed suffering. And worst of all, it might not even help reduce the total deaths over the long term. That's highly speculative and dependent on other factors.