For short-term, individual cost/benefit calculations around C19, it seems like uncertainty in the number of people currently infected should drop out of the calculation.
For instance: suppose I’m thinking about the risk associated with talking to a random stranger, e.g. a cashier. My estimated chance of catching C19 from this encounter will be roughly proportional to Ninfected. But, assuming we already have reasonably good data on number hospitalized/died, my chances of hospitalization/death given infection will be roughly inversely proportional to Ninfected. So, multiplying those two together, I’ll get a number roughly independent of Ninfected.
How general is this? Does some version of it apply to long-term scenarios too (possibly accounting for herd immunity)? What short-term decisions do depend on Ninfected?
For short-term, individual cost/benefit calculations around C19, it seems like uncertainty in the number of people currently infected should drop out of the calculation.
For instance: suppose I’m thinking about the risk associated with talking to a random stranger, e.g. a cashier. My estimated chance of catching C19 from this encounter will be roughly proportional to Ninfected. But, assuming we already have reasonably good data on number hospitalized/died, my chances of hospitalization/death given infection will be roughly inversely proportional to Ninfected. So, multiplying those two together, I’ll get a number roughly independent of Ninfected.
How general is this? Does some version of it apply to long-term scenarios too (possibly accounting for herd immunity)? What short-term decisions do depend on Ninfected?