Psychology of Pandemics

What this tells me is how fragile society is. If the death rate from COVID had, say, been three times what it actually is (which is still way short of the Plague of the Middle Ages) then it's likely modern society would break down altogether.

Moreover, this notion seems to be supported by another current news story on HN - that of a gas station worker in Germany who was shot when he asked a customer to wear a mask.

From what I'm seeing the polarization of views over COVID seems irreconcilable - that is reconcilable to a point where the best health practices can be optimized.

To me, the fact that humans cannot agree to optimize their health outcomes is the single biggest advantage the virus has.