How do we make brutal calculus of health vs. economy?

The social calculus of risk to the few vs. economic recovery will be brutal. If the economy stays shut down, more people will become desperate for funds for the basics of food, rent etc. This would lead to higher crime rates and general social unrest. Balance that risk of desperation and unrest against the risk to those with medical conditions and a very primal social Darwinism will emerge.

Being able to stay home when at risk will become more important when the economy slowly opens up, as virus spread will continue; the goal being a somewhat controlled spread rate which will not overwhelm hospitals but allow the economy to ramp.

I would wager that government strategists are working that optimization problem, or at least hope so. Resulting trade-offs will balance hospital capacity vs economy risk, so our health risk will be a variable to be minimized but at too high a cost to set to zero. As I said, a brutal calculus. Like a battlefield commander, balancing fatalities vs. mission needs, government will sacrifice our exposure and resulting fatality rate to maintain social order and economic viability.

It will be up to us at higher risk to protect ourselves with eyes open from becoming fatalities.

Scott Lee

Snohomish