the Coronavirus outbreak thread

[statsman]

In Texas,, Gov. Abbot has not directed a state wide closure, leaving it to counties to decide. I believe he is correct to do so. Texas is the second most populous state, with the 12th most cases (was 11th, but Georgia passed us and Connecticut is challenging) and 15th most deaths. There are 100 counties with no cases.

The social distancing strategy has an element of magical thinking to it. We all know the idea is to flatten the curve, but at the cost of extending it, because the area under the curve doesn’t change unless a vaccine is developed. For us, “hope” is a strategy.

Plans must be made for that hope to not come to fruition. There is a human cost to this shutdown. I have a co-worker with a young son at the top of the kidney transplant list (his failed due to type 1 diabetes). Transplants are curtailed until this passes. Donor organs have a short shelf life, and there is no telling how many have been discarded the past few weeks. When does this young man’s life start to count?