I suspect that it is impossible to make a consistent and sensible policy for something as eccentric as COVID. Like you say, among multiple people with similar risk factors, some got really sick, some had mild symptoms, and (possibly) some were infected but had no symptoms at all, and no one knows how to predict what will happen in any in…
I suspect that it is impossible to make a consistent and sensible policy for something as eccentric as COVID. Like you say, among multiple people with similar risk factors, some got really sick, some had mild symptoms, and (possibly) some were infected but had no symptoms at all, and no one knows how to predict what will happen in any individual case. Eccentricity is the bane of planning and policy.
Something we’re learning, though, is that the long-term effects of even mild infection may have significant lasting effects on multiple organ systems. We don’t yet know if these will really be long-term or transient, nor if transient, for how long. We’re still learning about the effects of the virus.
Absolutely. This makes it all the more important that public facing communications are as clear as possible, while acknowledging that some things are still unknown and others may change. Dr. Jetelina is peerless in demonstrating how this can be done.
On the specific issue I noted, it strikes me that what is needed is a “courtesy” campaign, like that the NYC subway uses for subway etiquette, using shory phrases and and eye-catching graphics to drive the points home. One I remember is of a person sitting on a seat with a row of luggage next to her. The accompanying phrase is “Seats are for butts, not bags.” Basic stuff like that.
I suspect that it is impossible to make a consistent and sensible policy for something as eccentric as COVID. Like you say, among multiple people with similar risk factors, some got really sick, some had mild symptoms, and (possibly) some were infected but had no symptoms at all, and no one knows how to predict what will happen in any individual case. Eccentricity is the bane of planning and policy.
Something we’re learning, though, is that the long-term effects of even mild infection may have significant lasting effects on multiple organ systems. We don’t yet know if these will really be long-term or transient, nor if transient, for how long. We’re still learning about the effects of the virus.
Absolutely. This makes it all the more important that public facing communications are as clear as possible, while acknowledging that some things are still unknown and others may change. Dr. Jetelina is peerless in demonstrating how this can be done.
On the specific issue I noted, it strikes me that what is needed is a “courtesy” campaign, like that the NYC subway uses for subway etiquette, using shory phrases and and eye-catching graphics to drive the points home. One I remember is of a person sitting on a seat with a row of luggage next to her. The accompanying phrase is “Seats are for butts, not bags.” Basic stuff like that.