[ExI] COVID-19 has now killed more Americans than Chinese

[spike at rainier66.com]

From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of John Clark via extropy-chat



> that chart didn’t show why because it wasn’t in per-capita infection rates.

 

Speaking of per-capita, we don't know the true number of people in the USA that are infected because the USA has done far fewer testing per-capita than any other modern industrial nation and started doing them far later, even later and fewer than some third world nations. As a result we're flying blind, all we have is a lower bound. 

 

 John K Clark

 

 

 

Agreed.  Eventually we will be able to estimate it by looking at mortality above background.  We don’t know and will not know mortality rates in China, but in Europe we will.

 

My theory is that we are seeing that infection rates per capita is mostly a function of a country’s wealth.  People who have a ton of money spend it traveling internationally and domestically, where they catch stuff, then bring in home to their poorer brethren.  I am a poorer brethra (well, the singular damn well should be brethra (or the plural should be brothers (one or the other.)))

 

Our world has grown beyond national boundaries.  People with money can go anywhere they want.  We are already seeing that contagion follows big careless celebrations such as Mardi Gras and Spring break at the beach, neither of which the federal government controls.  We can study per capita infection rates for those who attended these ill-advised activities if we wish.  We can study contagion as a function of lifestyle choices (well, imagine that.)  If we choose that route however, the result could be tragic: we risk having a perfectly good crisis go to waste.

 

spike

 

 

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