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Lessons learned — and forgotten — from the horrific epidemics of the U.S. Civil War

 Johnathon S. Jones—Stat News

 

If there's only one thing to take away from this article, it's "the rigid enforcement of public health measures saves lives". There has been too much selfishness in peoples' behaviour, the belief that since the fatality rate is so low then everything will be fine, never taking into account the transmission rate of the virus, and that 1% accumulates, and with a high transmission rate, it accumulates very, very quickly.

With a high transmission rate, the mutation or adaptability of the virus grows with every new infection, and every new infection leads into a situation where previous methods of combating the virus also need to adapt. However, with the half-hearted measures undertaken by neo-liberal governments, there has only been the lurching response that has severely under-served the public leading to a stark situation where everything done prior could well become moot. All the sacrifices made become worthless.

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