Over the past two weeks, high-profile leaders in the worlds of business, politics and health have put forth plans to reopen the country, mitigate further damage from the coronavirus and “crush the curve” rather than just flatten it. Will any of these recommendations work?

“To be very blunt, I think they are a bit of fantasy and unlikely to be successful,” says Dr. Robert Pearl, who points to the major logistical flaws of any plan that relies too heavily on COVID-19 testing as a solution. Added Pearl: “People are trying to find a way forward that is relatively painless. And the truth, when it comes to coronavirus, is that there are no fully painless solutions.”

Episode 5 of Coronavirus: The Truth offers answers to the following questions:

[01:03] How did Dr. Pearl and others predict the current number of deaths so accurately?

[04:45] Will it be safe to ease social distancing measures in the coming months?

[05:48] A new projection of 60,000 total U.S. deaths is going around. What’s the catch?

[07:29] Will there be a second wave of the virus in New York or elsewhere?

[08:47] Is it possible to crush the curve rather than just flatten it?

[11:49] What should we make of Siddartha Mukherjee’s intriguing research on “dose exposure”?

[14:51] What can the U.S. learn from China, Singapore, Italy and Germany?

[16:49] Are Americans becoming more or less optimistic about the future?

[21:08] Do we know for sure that scientists can produce an effective vaccine for COVID-19?

[23:24] Is Sweden’s “low-scale lockdown” something the U.S. can mimic?

[26:55] What’s wrong with the COVID-19 recommendations of Joe Biden and Bill Gates?

[32:23] What are the biggest unknowns that remain about the coronavirus?

This episode is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify and other podcast platforms. To submit a question or comment to the hosts, visit the contact page or send a message on Twitter or LinkedIn.

*To ensure the credibility of this program, Coronavirus: The Truth refuses to accept sponsorship, outside funding sources or guests with any financial or personal conflicts of interest.

The post #5: Can we ‘crush the curve’ of this pandemic? appeared first on Fixing Healthcare.