re: Daily COVID Updated as of 11/2/20 8:00 PM

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Does that mean we are doing too much? Does that mean prior responses did too little? Does modern society value life differently than in those past ones? Are we "over/undervaluing" certain lives relative to others?

Those questions and their answers are less about science and more about current values, morals and yes, politics. That whole disagreement isn't seriously about if the virus is real, its about this debate and all these things and where you are on the spectrum of how you value these factors against other factors.

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I definitely do think society values life differently than in past eras. That's why I don't like just casually comparing this to the HK flu in the late 60s.

My opinion is that the economic engine of the West (and focused on the US) is the best chance the world is ever going to get to get and stay out of the stone age. So any attempts to seriously disrupt that ought to be accompanied with copious data and knowledge about how bad something is. I know it's easier to do with benefit of hindsight, but still.

Nobody had a plan to re-open once the decision to close was made. Ultimately, I blame Trump for most of that. He left the messaging up almost completely to 2 scientists. He should have balanced them with (at least) an ethicist and an economist of stature.

I mean, I started a thread a few days ago about Kurt Eichenwald's tweets that basically argue "if it saves just one life". I can't believe supposedly serious writers are still parroting nonsense like that that is completely devoid of any kind of rational risk/reward calculus.