Flattening the curve

[4] If the demand surpasses the capacity line in the infections per day curve, then the existing health facilities cannot fully handle the patients, resulting in higher death rates than if preparations had been made.

[4] Non-pharmaceutical interventions such as hand washing, social distancing, isolation and disinfection[4] reduce the daily infections, therefore flattening the epidemic curve.

In hospitals, it for medical staff to use the proper protective equipment and procedures, but also to separate contaminated patients and exposed workers from other populations to avoid patient-to-doctor or patient-to-patient spreading.

[16] According to Vox, in order to move away from social distancing and return to normal, the US needed to flatten the curve by isolation and mass testing, and to raise the line.

[17] According to The Nation, territories with weak finances and health care capacity such as Puerto Rico faced an uphill battle to raise the line, and therefore a higher imperative pressure to flatten the curve.

[18] Edlin called for an activation of the Defense Production Act to order manufacturing companies to produce the needed sanitizers, personal protective equipment, ventilators, and set up hundreds thousands to millions required hospital beds.

[18] Edlin pointed out proposed stimulus package as oriented toward financial panics, while not providing sufficient funding for the core issue of a pandemic: health care capability.