A fiasco in the making? As the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, we are making decisions without reliable data

Stat News – by John P.A. Ioannidis

The current coronavirus disease, Covid-19, has been called a once-in-a-century pandemic. But it may also be a once-in-a-century evidence fiasco.

At a time when everyone needs better information, from disease modelers and governments to people quarantined or just social distancing, we lack reliable evidence on how many people have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 or who continue to become infected. Better information is needed to guide decisions and actions of monumental significance and to monitor their impact.

Draconian countermeasures have been adopted in many countries. If the pandemic dissipates — either on its own or because of these measures — short-term extreme social distancing and lockdowns may be bearable. How long, though, should measures like these be continued if the pandemic churns across the globe unabated? How can policymakers tell if they are doing more good than harm?

Vaccines or affordable treatments take many months (or even years) to develop and test properly. Given such timelines, the consequences of long-term lockdowns are entirely unknown.

Read the rest here: https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/17/a-fiasco-in-the-making-as-the-coronavirus-pandemic-takes-hold-we-are-making-decisions-without-reliable-data/

5 thoughts on “A fiasco in the making? As the coronavirus pandemic takes hold, we are making decisions without reliable data

  1. ‘decisions without reliable data’
    Like most I have found myself reacting. Reacting to what? Here is what I see after taking in much information provided by this awesome site. I see people complying. To what? LMAO complying to rumors and inuendos. No one has served me with any official notice of ANYTHING!!!! It’s a case of telephone, telegraph where the rumor/lie begins to take on a life of its own. Thanks to the information people submit here it has become glaringly obvious I am seeing another pathetic attempt by pissants to disarm us
    and based on rumors gets us fired up to go kill more for THEM! Come on people, admit it we’ve been punked !! That’s not to say $hit won’t be coming our way but whatever they throw at us we can deal with because we know the cowards we are up against don’t have a snowball’s chance in hell. What we stand for is Truth…..oh yeah remember that?

  2. One of my co-workers just texted me saying that he just talked to a friend of his in Italy. He said that the hospitals are desperate for spaces but that there was literally NO shortage on food and supplies as everything was stocked full.

    My guess is that since the Chinese are helping them, they are giving Italians supplies which has prevented any shortage for them.

    My feel is that there is some kind of virus out there, but it’s being blown-up waaaayyy out of proportion and our foreign government in occupation is doing all it can to use it to create panic and mass hysteria in order to take away as many freedoms as we have left and have total control over us.

    Most stores around me, including Walmart are starting to get supplies back on their shelves. However, the paper products, are still non-existent. If it’s true that we only get our paper products from China, then that would be why Italy has no problem with those supplies while we do.

    Supposedly, China tried to supply us with masks, but Trumpy refused saying that they were all probably contaminated. Then his friends go and throw around the idea that we should bring in more rich Chinese investors. WHHHAAATT????!!!!

    Once again, which is it Trumpy? You like China or hate China? You want your cake and eat it, too? My head is spinning again and I have gone cross-eyed.

    1. “We should call it the “VACATION WEEK VIRUS”, since no one is allowed to work for two weeks.”
      I heard Trump during the briefing answer a reporter in regards to China. Trump says all is going well, & a 250 billion deal is in the works. China is going to purchase this amount of something.

  3. I also received word yesterday that another co-worker of mine whose sister is a nurse and lives in NYC stated that she tested positive for the virus. She was told she could either help care for the infected people (go figure) since she was already “infected” or she could stay home for a couple of weeks. She chose to stay home of course and oh yea, other than usual under the weather symptoms, she didn’t really feel ill.

    This virus is magical, I tell ya! You don’t even know you have it. We should call it the “VACATION WEEK VIRUS”, since no one is allowed to work for two weeks.

    Am I the next person in the Coronavirus line to win a free all expense paid vacation this week from our foreign government in occupation?

    I bet the police are jealous. Unlike them, we don’t have to kill someone just to get a two week paid vacation!

    Half of my co-workers joke about this virus every time they work.

    (COUGH) “Oh no. I think I have the Coronavirus. I need to go home for a week or two.”

    1. “We should call it the “VACATION WEEK VIRUS”, since no one is allowed to work for two weeks.”
      This is funny!
      I heard this one, controlavirus. I thought it was real accurate.

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