Scott Gottlieb, MD
@ScottGottliebMD
THREAD: There’s a strong and understandable desire to return to better times and a functioning economy. But it should not be lost on anyone that there’s no such thing as a functioning economy and society so long as covid-19 continues to spread uncontrolled in our biggest cities.
So long as covid-19 spreads uncontrolled, older people will die in historic numbers, middle aged folks doomed to prolonged ICU stays to fight for their lives, hospitals will be overwhelmed, and most Americans terrified to leave homes, eat out, take the subway, or go to the park.
The only way to return to a stable economy and restore our liberty, is to end epidemic spread of covid-19. We need a massive effort to offset the hardship of these efforts, and the public health costs they impose, as there are more than economic costs to the measures we’re taking
But there’s no functioning healthcare with hospitals overwhelmed, no return to work with people terrified of a virus raging uncontrolled. There are two ways to end this. Let a vast swath of people catch covid which is unthinkable, or break the epidemic. We must choose the latter
This pathogen brought China to a standstill, with perhaps greater lethality than Spanish Flu. Many middle-aged people are suffering long stays in ICU and survive only after weeks of critical care. Make no mistake about it, this pathogen spares nobody, except thankfully the young.
There’s no easy return. We must accept a sober truth. This pathogen has altered history and changed our world. But it caught us at a time when we have the public health tools, technology, and know how to defeat it quickly and vanquish it for good. We must stay on the battlefield.
https://twitter.com/ScottGottliebMD/status/1242282560106958854
Comment: I still wish he was on our task force
Lt Gov Dan Patrick TX needs to listen to Dr Gottleib.
Scott is arguing with something Trump didn’t say.
Anyway, people need to see an end to this, at some point. For morale: It’s a fight we’ll win. Trump has to encourage that.
While we should err on the side of preserving life, reality is we will not put in the effort to save every life that can be saved.
It won’t happen.
Life must go on.
No man or woman carries a heavier burden that POTUS right now.