> Among all patients who received mechanical ventilation, the mortality rate was 76.4% for adults ages 18 to 65, and nearly all patients over age 65 died (97.2%), reported Karina Davidson, PhD, of Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health in Manhasset, New York, and colleagues, writing in JAMA.
If that is the death rate for people who need ventilators then a lot of the arguments for "flattening the curve" are less compelling.
The whole idea of "flattening the curve" was to preserve hospital capacity in order to save lives. If most of the people who need ventilators are likely to die whether or not hospital capacity is available, then the trade-off between saving lives and saving the economy has not turned out the way we expected.
If that is the death rate for people who need ventilators then a lot of the arguments for "flattening the curve" are less compelling.
The whole idea of "flattening the curve" was to preserve hospital capacity in order to save lives. If most of the people who need ventilators are likely to die whether or not hospital capacity is available, then the trade-off between saving lives and saving the economy has not turned out the way we expected.