Latest Perspectives on COVID-19
Maybe I am spending too much time reading about the coronavirus. That may be true, but given how quickly this disease can spread, it seems important to not only take some action, but also to stay current with the latest perspectives. Here are a few recent pieces of content that seem to be moving the conversation in the right direction.
‘It’s Now or Never’
Former homeland security adviser to President Trump Tom Bossert argues in the Washington Post It’s now or never for the U.S. if it hopes to keep coronavirus from burning out of control.
The United States and other liberal societies must mount a significant, coordinated response with public buy-in.
’Cancel Everything’
Yascha Mounk, an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, urges us in the Atlantic to Cancel Everything.
The coronavirus could spread with frightening rapidity, overburdening our health-care system and claiming lives, until we adopt serious forms of social distancing.
This suggests that anyone in a position of power or authority, instead of downplaying the dangers of the coronavirus, should ask people to stay away from public places, cancel big gatherings, and restrict most forms of nonessential travel.
Vox on Flattening the Curve
Vox has a good summary of why it’s important we “flatten the curve.” How canceled events and self-quarantines save lives, in one chart.
A disastrous inundation of hospitals can likely be averted with protective measures we’re now seeing more of — closing schools, canceling mass gatherings, working from home, self-quarantine, avoiding crowds — to keep the virus from spreading fast.
Podcast: ‘How Should We Respond to Coronavirus?’
Lastly, Sam Harris has an informative episode of his podcast up with Nicholas Christakis, Yale Professor of Social & Natural Science (also an M.D.) called “How Should We Respond to Coronavirus.” It’s a great summary of the available science… and it scared me.
In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the likely effects on society, proactive vs reactive school closures, community transmission, false comparisons between coronavirus and flu, the imperative of social distancing, the timeline of the pandemic, Trump’s political messaging, the widespread distrust of expertise, the importance of “flattening the curve” of the epidemic, the possible failure of our healthcare system, gradations of personal response to this threat, and other topics.
