COVID: Starting Now - fordsfords/fordsfords.github.io GitHub Wiki

(Parent article: Covid 19 Fast Read.)

I'm writing this on Tuesday, March 3, 2020 from New York City in the U.S. At this point, the numbers of confirmed cases of the Covid-19 virus is still small across the U.S. But it is spreading quickly, and there's nothing anybody can do to stop it.

It is coming, ready or not.

In an excellent article, Zeynep Tufekci explains that rather than trying to stop it -- which is impossible -- we should concentrate on slowing it down. Slowing its spread can make a huge difference in the social and economic disruption caused by it. Slowing it down can even result in many lives being saved.

You will probably catch it at some point, and if you have severe symptoms, the last thing you want is for your local hospital to be overburdened with cases. SLOW THE SPREAD!

Yes, this is true even in the post-lockdown period. In fact, it's probably MORE important since the spread will naturally start to increase.

The problem with Covid-19 is that infected people are contagious before they have symptoms. You yourself might have it and not yet know it.

So it is important to start doing the right things NOW, rather than waiting until your local hospital reports confirmed cases. If you're sick and don't know it, doing those right things will slow its spread. And if you aren't sick (yet), doing those right things will delay your catching it.