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Comment by matwood | Hacker News Reader

Even if we raise the denominator to make the percentages look better, there is no denying that hospitals are being overwhelmed. The flu often already pushed hospitals to the edge, so even only (heh) 5x worse will cause most hospital systems collapse.

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Should 1000 people go unemployed to save one person?

Phrased differently, are you willing to die to give employment to 1000 people?

Phrased differently, I would be willing to die to give employment to 1000 people who can work to save 10 (?) people. If people aren’t working to care for the system, then doctors can’t find helpers with their kids, etc.

The system collapses in this scenario as well.

I don’t have a real answer, but this event is helping discuss interesting and difficult questions.

If I was over 70 y.o., I would think that I would be willing to die to prevent my grandchildren from experiencing the great depression.

Obviously right? Clearly temporary unemployment of any number of people seems less important than death of thousands, if not millions of people.

Yes, yes, extremely yes.

Luckily the calculation is far less shitty than that. Contrary to what folks claim, the reducing in fatalities from automobile accidents and from dramatically lowered pollution outweighs suicides and other economic reasons for people to die. This lockdown is a dramatic net positive for human lives and significantly reduces the risk of death from many sources.

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