Podcast Notes Key Takeaways

• “It’s not just bad if you catch it and you’re over 70…there are healthy fit people getting killed by this virus” – Sam Harris
• Even if we’re all destined to contract the virus, social distancing is essential: The healthcare system is collapsing from an overflow of patients, if we can slow down the rate of infection, that will save countless lives
  • “The time for hugging people and shaking hands is over. You’re not being friendly by shaking someone’s hand, in fact, you’re being quite rude.” – Sam Harris
• The coronavirus mortality rate estimates:
  • Age 0-30: 0.2%
  • Age 30-80: 1-2%
  • Age 80+: 20% 
• The most optimistic estimate is that 1 million Americans will get infected and 35K will die from the coronavirus
  • One Harvard scientist estimates that 20-60% of Americans will be infected over the course a year–That means at least 60 million Americans will get infected and 300K will die
• There will be multiple waves of infection, this is only the first–The later you contract the coronavirus the better
  • It gives doctors and scientists more time to research what drugs can help fight the virus and increases the chances of a vaccine being developed 

Read the full notes @ podcastnotes.org



Subscribe to the Waking Up with Sam Harris Podcast

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Harris speaks with Nicholas Christakis about the coronavirus pandemic. They discuss the likely effects on society, proactive vs reactive school closures, community transmission, false comparisons between coronavirus and flu, the imperative of social distancing, the timeline of the pandemic, Trump’s political messaging, the widespread distrust of expertise, the importance of "flattening the curve" of the epidemic, the possible failure of our healthcare system, gradations of personal response to this threat, and other topics.

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