Europe have experienced similar before, it is a royal, tough and limiting inconvenience but it is temporary. The idea was to limit the daily rise of those in need of treatment to within the healthcare capacity. Despite the snark now, if the goal of American health authorities in March 2020 was to flatten the curve, then they were successful. "There were people with legitimate credentials and stellar careers that were feeding information, and I had never seen that before, and that was enormously difficult," Birx said Thursday at a virtual symposium hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences and NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Also in June, TFTP covered the findings of anMIT scientist who reporteda data analysis of the economic impact of the lockdown noting that whilst it played a key contributing role to the sharp rise of unemployment, it did not make a significant reduction in deaths. Flattening the curve worked until it didnt - Vox (i.e. Unnecessary large gatherings should be canceled. - Joe Rogan. If results are virtually identical regardless of the level of the shutdown, wouldn't the most pragmatic solution be to mirror Florida and allow individuals to make their own decisions about what is best for the health and safety of their families? By late April, numerous states governors and municipal officials were discussing ways to scale back their lockdowns. The message took off. That was the idea of flattening the curve , reducing exposure to the virus to limit the number of people who fell ill and, by extension, who needed to be Population health educator Drew Harris adapted The Economists chart to share on Twitter. The next two weeks will be "absolutely critical" for containing the virus, Elaine Morrato, dean of the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health at Loyola University Chicago, told Business Insider. Helen Branswell covers issues broadly related to infectious diseases, including outbreaks, preparedness, research, and vaccine development. But an individuals awareness of the flatten-the-curve graphic did not predict their willingness to engage in social distancing or their belief in societys ability to control the course of the pandemic. Clearly we can no longer rely on them to make decisions which benefit freedom and liberty. "The evidence from other nations is clear: Longer periods of time will be needed to reverse the tide.". It wasn't until early April that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization acknowledged that wearing a mask could help protect people, she said. But as for the non-vaccinated, I really want to piss them off. state and local government budgets cratered. Subscribe to STAT+ for less than $2 per day, Unlimited access to essential biotech, medicine, and life sciences journalism, Subscribe to STAT+ for less than $2 per day, Unlimited access to the health care news and insights you need, New mega-deal highlights Geisingers fall, and raises concerns about, New mega-deal highlights Geisingers fall, and raises concerns about where Kaiser is going next, Experts weigh in on potential health hazards posed by, Experts weigh in on potential health hazards posed by chemicals in Ohio train derailment, Why fentanyl is deadlier than heroin, in a single, Why fentanyl is deadlier than heroin, in a single photo, Pennsylvania set to ban supervised drug use sites, in, Pennsylvania set to ban supervised drug use sites, in setback for harm reduction, We went from almost no lockdowns to daily lockdowns:, We went from almost no lockdowns to daily lockdowns: The mental health crisis inside California womens, To prevent preeclampsia, experts push for broader blood pressure, To prevent preeclampsia, experts push for broader blood pressure testing at home.