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Comment by anthony_r | Hacker News Reader

Because Elon thought that the coronavirus panic is dumb.

https://www.thestar.com.my/tech/tech-news/2020/03/11/tesla-c...

The content quoted in the "The Star" makes it seems more to me that he's calling the _panic_ dumb, not the necessities required to fight the pandemic, which he acknowledges exists in his follow-on tweets, at least the ones "The Star" quoted.

I also think the "coronavirus panic" is dumb, but I'm defining the "panic" when I say this as people buying 5 years of toilet paper, and unless there's more context that's what I am also assuming he is referring to.

There’s very good reason to panic early when dealing with an exponentially growing threat: https://youtu.be/e2Kga5HeAqk

Exactly. I don't understand why people are so avert to the word "panic". Extreme situations require extreme measures, which sure as hell look like "panic". If somebody is shooting at you - you're expected to panic and run and hide.

"Panic" is associated to irrational decision making, and is usually not what produces the best outcome. This is why there is a lot of training provided to professionals and even everyday people in potentially serious situations. If a plane crashes, they don't want you to panic and storm your way out of the plane, you'll just end up putting more lives at risk.

He also said that COVID-19 is a form of the common cold.

Elon Musk's words-

“My frank opinion remains that the harm from the coronavirus panic far exceeds that of the virus itself. If there is a massive redirection of medical resources out of proportion to the danger, it will result in less available care to those with critical medical needs, which does not serve the greater good.”

“My best guess, for what it’s worth, based on the latest Center for Disease Control data, is that confirmed COVID-19 (this specific form of the common cold) cases will not exceed 0.1% of the US population. Moreover, I do not think when we look back on 2020, that the causes of death or serious injury will have changed much from 2017.”

No, he wasn't talking about toilet paper hoarders. He was yet another overly self-absorbed person who thought that because he knows about something, ergo he knows about everything. HN is full of those types. That the "panic" response of actual professionals who are experts in this field just didn't match his imagination of how to respond to this "form of the common cold".

As an aside - the MAGA brigade is out in heavy force lately. The type of comments that are being flagged is absolutely ludicrous. If you find a comment that's politically unpalatable, be sure to flag it.

> My best guess ... is that confirmed COVID-19 ... cases will not exceed 0.1% of the US population

My own best guess agrees with that. Really, it's all about how many cases you choose to "confirm". That's not very reassuring though.

That would be 330k. With the current growth rate of 25% per day we'll find out in 16 days.

>As an aside - the MAGA brigade is out in heavy force lately

Partisan conspiracy theories like this are not helpful

Partisan? Hysterical! There is no universe where disagreeing with a cult of ignorance is "partisan".

Further, it isn't a conspiracy theory to make a banal observation. Flagging is clearly being grossly abused.

And your last line probably gave you lots of flags. Not sure I particularly like this forum anymore.

It is dumb. In the USA Corona deaths @ 150 so far while flu deaths @ 34K/year. Even Swine Flu had 4K deaths and MSM didn't bat an eye. Italy proving single payer socialized medicine has less talented clinicians and administration.

So here is a legitimate question:

At some point a few months from now, IF you are proven tragically wrong; what action will you undertake?

Apologize and review your assumptions and outlook for all future circumstances?

Or, as I suspect, pretend you never posted this and create a revisionist history of what your thoughts, opinions and stances were?

The first sentence indicates ignorance of math / timescales; second one indicates ignorance of other places; and I'll be genuinely curious if there is any way facts will ever penetrate, or whether you will find some way to rewrite history of your opinions in the future :-/

Guarantee you deaths will be less than swine flu deaths. But you will just say it's because of our amazing response, the same response being treated by MSM as inadequate. Just remember it was the Democrats/MSM willing to go scorched earth on the economy to push this pandemic narrative.

You can stick your guarantees ... somewhere. Nobody cares about them.

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