[howlgarnish]

> Hopefully at some point we will understand that the virus will follow its own curve regardless of what we try to do, after it has implanted in a country.

This is just straight up wrong. Many countries like China, Singapore and Australia have gotten sizable outbreaks (tens of thousands of people) under control and effectively eliminated the virus in their territories.

I do agree that half-assed lockdowns are the worst of both worlds: you endure the economic damage of shutdown without putting much of a dent in the case count. That said, with mass vaccination on the horizon, even pushing back the peak by a few months is about to start having real benefits.

[figaroniguzo]

> This is just straight up wrong. Many countries like China, Singapore and Australia have gotten sizable outbreaks (tens of thousands of people) under control and effectively eliminated the virus in their territories.

Do you actually believe Chinese numbers...? Unrealistic to compare Australia (which shut down border before it was coronavirus season, hence no community spread) and Singapore (5M people, similar situation with borders shut during non coronavirus season).

[ardy42]

> Do you actually believe Chinese numbers...?

The Chinese government isn't Oceania, with a near-total ability to force a narrative that's widely in variance to the facts. For example, just look at how well they've managed to convince the world that the Xinjiang camps don't exists and are fully of happy Uyghurs that are grateful for the education they're getting there.

If China had the same per capita COVID death rate a the US, they'd have had 1.1 million deaths at this point (and the associated stresses on their healthcare system). That's not something they could hide, because that's something my relatives would be able to personally report evidence of (especially since one is basically living in a Chinese hospital right now because of a bowel issue). Instead, they going about their business normally, often without masks, and no one's getting sick from COVID.