Wetand News

The coronavirus crisis is one of the most disruptive events to hit the U.S. in a very long time. Major sectors of the economy are being shuttered, people lives are being altered in the most profound ways, and the nation is facing extreme stress, the implications of which we do not understand. Extraordinarily serious decisions are being made without key information:  how many individuals have active infections?  How many have had the virus and now have immunity?  What percentage of infected individuals have few or no symptoms?  Who is currently infected and needs to be quarantined?  Is the current reduction in cases in Washington and elsewhere mainly the result of social distancing or the herd immunity of an increasing number of individuals that have had the virus? For all these questions, we do not know the answer.  Our best medical scientists and epidemiologists, including a highly respected group at the University of Washington, are making projections of the future progressio

See my new blog on this: >https://cliffmass.blogspot.com/2020/04/flying-blind-on-coronavirus-why-random.html Our society is now transitioning into panic about the coronavirus. Universities and schools are being shuttered, sports activities and public gatherings are being cancelled, individuals are hoarding toilet paper and supplies, travel is being severely constrained, the stock market has crashed, and business activity is nose-diving.  Major businesses are forcing their employees to work at home. This blog will try to summarize the coronavirus threat, suggest that some of the panic-driven actions may not be well-founded, and that there may be a far better, more effective approach to deal with the virus. Before I begin, let me note two things.   I am not a medical doctor, epidemiologist,  or viral expert. But I am a scientist with some facility with statistics and data, and my specialty, weather prediction, is all about helping people react appropriately to estimates