I’d just like to point out that while “facing these tradeoffs is stupid and avoidable” (which I agree with), it’s much, much more accurate to say instead “facing these tradeoffs is effectively impossible to avoid even though it’s stupid and avoidable”. We might not like reality, but it’s not going to go away no matter how much we call it stupid and avoidable.
I think it’s a valuable post, and agree that as an individual in the USA in 2021 it’s worth thinking carefully about these tradeoffs. In Australia though, it’s trivial to avoid facing these tradeoffs, because of the different policies we followed through 2020. (I will never claim they were great policies, but they were good enough)
My broader point is that the policy playbook we learn from COVID should be how and why to avoid such situations, not about how to live with R0≈1 for extended periods. Just do the proper lockdown for four-six weeks at the start instead of the end, and it’s over! We wouldn’t even need vaccines, let alone masks!
I’d just like to point out that while “facing these tradeoffs is stupid and avoidable” (which I agree with), it’s much, much more accurate to say instead “facing these tradeoffs is effectively impossible to avoid even though it’s stupid and avoidable”. We might not like reality, but it’s not going to go away no matter how much we call it stupid and avoidable.
I think it’s a valuable post, and agree that as an individual in the USA in 2021 it’s worth thinking carefully about these tradeoffs. In Australia though, it’s trivial to avoid facing these tradeoffs, because of the different policies we followed through 2020. (I will never claim they were great policies, but they were good enough)
My broader point is that the policy playbook we learn from COVID should be how and why to avoid such situations, not about how to live with R0≈1 for extended periods. Just do the proper lockdown for four-six weeks at the start instead of the end, and it’s over! We wouldn’t even need vaccines, let alone masks!