I Have a Question About “Flattening the Curve”

I’m puzzled by something. A few weeks ago, before we had adopted any social distancing measures, the COVID-19 models suggested that we’d hit a peak of 5,000+ deaths per day sometime in late April or early May. Then, in mid-March, we started adopting countermeasures. Famously, these countermeasures were supposed to “flatten the curve.”

As you can see, countermeasures were supposed to lower the peak number of deaths but push the peak outward. The total number of deaths would stay roughly the same.

But that isn’t what’s happened. The peak has been pulled forward and the total number of deaths has been cut by two-thirds or more. What’s going on here? What am I missing?

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The truth needs defenders. Be one.

For 50 years, Mother Jones has been publishing investigative journalism that doesn’t hold back. We’re independent from corporations and uninfluenced by those in power. Our commitment is solely to the truth.

That’s only possible because of you.

Our nonprofit newsroom is funded by donors from every state in the union—blue, red, and purple, all part of a community of readers who care about the future of our democracy.

This week is our spring membership drive, and we need 1,000 new donations to fund the urgent investigations already in our pipeline. Be the reason these stories get told. Make a donation to fund independent journalism, and help us reach our goal this week.

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