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Look at those countries that have ZERO current cases. Social distancing, testing, and contact tracing. On a mega scale. Maybe the most important part is that you have to have most everybody on board and cooperating. We are so polarized here and have politicized it to such an extent, that it would be like herding cats. If half population including the president, is in denial then it wont work.
North Korea hasn't reported any cases. No one there has become ill or died?
OP, yes, you missed the logistics. Trying to implement it with such a large scale population, it would indeed be a nightmare as noted above. It might more logistically be done if it was with a more scaled down population. A willing and fully cooperative population, I might add.
Or we could do nothing.
My 88 y/o father tested positive in an extended care facility for dimentia, 3 weeks ago; and no Covid symptoms.
They moved him 50 miles away to a different facility for Covid positive patients, and now aren't sure when they can send him back.
Are you missing something?, we all are I do believe.
Am not referring to my father(says food is better where he is!)with the above comment, but rather thinking we shouldn't be forcing people to quarantine who aren't sick; unless you intend on trampling all over Constitutional rights.
How do you enforce asymptomatic quarantines?
You can't, this would require everyone to volunteer; and Americans are much too self-centered for that.
Asymptomatic or not. These people are sick with a disease that is contagious and deadly for some. There is no constitutional right to make other people sick with an infectious disease. Mandatory quarantines have been upheld by the United States Supreme Court.
Last edited by markg91359; 06-22-2020 at 10:52 PM..
As was pointed out there are simply not enough tests and testing every American will overwhelm the labs, results won't be available for weeks or months. And of course we have a segment of the nation who will never believe it's a risk so they won't bother to be tested, and if they did they have shown they won't quarantine or wear a mask. So the entire exercise is just not feasible.
Impossible even if the logistics were not part of it. Even if we wanted to test everyone and had the ability to do so, people would go the Big Brother route and not everyone would comply.
That's a basic fallacy on which all our futile efforts are based.
First, in answer to the OP's question, as several others here have pointed out, logistics prevents universal, simultaneous testing as a practical matter...and the congregation of people at testing sites might actually hasten the spread.
More importantly, it wouldn't help: an epidemic does not come "under control" until the immune population becomes so great and the still susceptible population becomes so small that the bug has no place to go, so to speak. (Familiarize yourself with the S-I-R Model of epidemics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathem...ctious_disease before you spout off on what we should be doing or what it will accomplish.)
"Lowering the curve" only slows down the rate at which the disease spreads. It does not change the area under the curve-- the total number who will get infected (and die). More people stay susceptible for a longer period of time-- counter-productive.
The method of spread of a bug influences how fast it spreads. The Chinese lied to us about that initially ("Not spread by airborne route.") In fact, contact from surfaces ("Keep washing your hands.") probably has minor effect....Social distancing ("6 ft") only helps with aerosol spread (coughs & sneezes)..This bug is spread by the airborne route and lingers in the air for many minutes when an infected just breathes....Such a bug may require as much as a 95% immune rate in the population for herd immunity to develop. (Cf- measles)
You can hide under the covers to avoid the Boogey Man, but it only works for awhile. You gotta come out eventually to eat or to go to work to pay the rent.
We are already trampling on everyone's rights. Forced shutdowns, forcing people to stay in their homes, forced mask usage. 40 million plus unemployed. Governors deciding which businesses they deem essential. We could have a roller coaster of this that could last a couple more years. Not only is it bad for the economy but very stressful for everyone. Not to mention all the people getting sick and dying.
The prolonged shelter-in-place orders here in Michigan (now mostly lifted) appear to have done the trick. It was unusual, most of the people realized the benefit, a few were loud-mouthed social media haters for the whole duration. BUT, new cases in Michigan are dwindling significantly! Michigan, New York, and New Jersey now have the lowest rates of new infection. Ironic as these same states were the primary hot spots only three months ago.
The 'medicine and treatment' was unpalatable to some even though it appears to have worked for all of us. We are all hoping it does not need to be repeated.
My employer still has mandatory mask wearing rules. All employees received weekly Covid testing during May. Anyone who complains about difficulty in breathing through a surgical mask should have both nostrils/sinuses probed with the bristle brush used to collect Covid samples.. My breathing has never been better, mask or no mask!
I know it's frustrating, but we would of had to shut down entry into the US back in December. And when I say shutdown entry, I mean air/land/sea absolutely nobody getting back in, even US citizens and then start testing hot spots and tracing everyone they came in contact with.
At this point, and it might be sad to say, we just have to keep on doing what we are doing and ride this thing out, I know that's probably not what you wanted to hear, but it is what it is.
In hindsight a December entry shutdown would have been the way to go. But has been pointed out endlessly our southern and northern borders are not air tight so as long as someone could get into Canada or Mexico they could pretty easily get into this country.
And if at best you could get 50% to go with testing everyone how many people would have been OK with completely shutting off all entry into America when no one knew that this illness in China was going to amount to much? I would assume it would have been hard to get any support for that then.
Look at those countries that have ZERO current cases. Social distancing, testing, and contact tracing. On a mega scale. Maybe the most important part is that you have to have most everybody on board and cooperating. We are so polarized here and have politicized it to such an extent, that it would be like herding cats. If half population including the president, is in denial then it wont work.
Even countries where they have near 100% cooperation from the people there cannot get to zero cases. China and S Korea come to mind. Perhaps a small country can.
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