Topic: Flattening The Curve

The hosts reflect on the "two weeks to flatten the curve" slogan, noting how quickly the pandemic response escalated. John C. Dvorak mentions plans to shop at the iconic Macy's in San Francisco's Union Square before it closes permanently. The segment concludes with a call for listener donations to support the show's independent media mission.

Health officials warned that a potential "second wave" of the virus could be far worse than the first, describing it as a "tsunami" type wave. The public was urged to "hunker down" and refocus on flattening the curve through testing and social distancing. A repetitive media montage emphasized the phrase "we are doing a lot of testing" to describe the government's primary strategy for managing the resurgence.

Ontario and Quebec have entered "Red Alert" status, implementing more restrictive measures. The Premier of Ontario used the term "undulating waves" and "tsunami type waves" to describe the current case trends, urging the public to "hunker down" and "flatten the curve" again, despite the lack of a corresponding spike in deaths.

Public health officials in Canada and other jurisdictions have shifted their messaging from flattening the curve of hospitalizations to focusing on daily case counts. Projections suggest Canada could reach 5,000 cases per day by the end of October, leading to renewed calls for social distancing. Critics argue that rising case numbers do not necessarily correlate with increased sickness or mortality rates.

Governor Jay Inslee announced the return of a 250-bed Army field hospital as Washington state successfully flattened its infection curve. The decision reflects a broader trend of revised COVID-19 models showing lower projected death tolls than initially feared.

Analysis of CDC data suggests the 2019-2020 flu season was unusually severe, with up to 55,000 deaths and 51 million illnesses reported by early March. There is speculation that COVID-19 may have already "washed through" the American population undetected in January and February, given the high volume of direct flights from Wuhan to industrial hubs like Toledo, Ohio. The current spike in confirmed cases is attributed to the sudden increase in testing rather than a new wave of infection.

The reality of COVID-19 testing is examined, noting that kits are not as easily accessible as consumer DNA tests and involve an invasive swabbing process. The discussion shifts to the public strategy of "flattening the curve" through a two-week period of reduced social activity and working from home.