Canuckus Deploracus wrote:
Eaxh of those nations has had less than 5% of its population infected...
None have achieved herd immunity...
All had stricter lockdowns than the US...
I am addressing this to you but it is intended to reference all of the negative responses I got.
We have no idea what percentage of the populations has been in contact with the virus because we don't even know if the testing is accurate or not. False negatives have been a constant fly in that ointment. The virus affects different people differently autopsies have shown. As of now, no single test can be certain to detect the virus.
Basic logic 101, the smaller the herd, the sooner saturation can be reached. Basic logic 201, the longer a population is hidden from a communicable disease, the longer it will take to reach saturation.
Basic immunology 101, herd immunity results from either exposure or vaccination. Since no vaccine has been forthcoming, we are dependent on natural immunity. Corona viruses are notoriously difficult to stop. They are still working on one for the common cold. Again, we are dependent on natural immunity to reach herd immunity and that requires exposure to the virus.
Basic immunology 201, surviving past the natural life cycle of any disease is the only certain way to avoid it failing effective medical intervention. Viruses, most not being living organisms, can survive intact for millions of years under favorable conditions. That puts us back to reliance on herd immunity or dumb luck, for now.
Synopsis, failing reliable testing methods, failing 100% testing and failing a complete understanding of the pathology of the disease, there is no way to mitigate propagation of the disease. Considering the population sizes involved, the curves on Pete's graphs are exactly what is to be expected.
The entire purpose of sequestration was to prevent overwhelming the hospital system. That has been achieved, now lets quit playing doctor and get back to normal life.