Originally Posted by
EyeMD
You are quite correct that the cat is likely already out of the bag and widespread infection of the populace is now likely. From a policy standpoint we have shifted from an infection containment strategy to one of mitigation of the effects of the pandemic. However, we desperately need to avoid “getting this over ASAP” as the spike in demand for healthcare services in that setting will far outstrip our ability to provide care, not just for those with COVID but for anyone else who has the misfortune of suffering a major medical event during the pandemic. If all of of our icu beds are full of patients on ventilators from COVID and you have a a stroke or heart attack, what will happen? This is exactly the scenario playing out in Italy now, where impossible triage decisions are being made and is quite likely to happen here if we don’t move aggressively to flatten the curve of infection. You’re right: The numbers of dead from the collateral damage from COVID may well outstrip those from the disease itself, even before you take the economic ramifications into account.