March 18: My purpose in posting

If it's not obvious, the reason I have been posting so much about the math of contagion, the Italian experience and the plight of front line medical workers, is to save lives. This may have been totally naive, but it gave me some agency. If even one person decided two weeks ago, to avoid a meeting, and, in so doing, avoided getting infected and spreading the virus to others... this will have been totally worth it! It was also "easy" to do. That math is what it is... and there was no reason to believe that the Italian experience would not be our own likely path. I felt a bit like an "oracle" ... with the "duty" to shout the impending doom from the mountain, so folks would take shelter, at my own risk of being lynched... which is often the destiny of messengers of bad news. We are now at a different stage. Our own numbers are beginning to do the talking. COVID-19 is no longer a "hoax". Authorities are beginning to take action. Maybe testing will begin seriously, and protective equipment will come out of military storage. Had all this happened 2 weeks ago we'd be a LOT better off, but, still, it's "good news". The ride has started. Let us hold our virtual hands and help each other out in all possible ways.

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