# Strategies for easing panic

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategies-for-easing-panic/849830>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [March 19, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategies-for-easing-panic/849830 "2020-03-19T19:22:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![HoneyBadgerDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honeybadgerdc/32/1033_2.png) [@HoneyBadgerDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoneyBadgerDC)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategies-for-easing-panic/849830/1 "2020-03-19T19:22:42Z")

</div>

I feel at this point real numbers and better stats would have a positive effect on panic. How could a model be built that would somewhat accurately predict unreported infections? Random sampling? What kind of numbers would ease fears? Can case studies and histories create a model that might reflect unreported cases?

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategies-for-easing-panic/849830/2 "2020-03-19T19:41:46Z")

</div>

Without testing and tracking, models are pointless.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategies-for-easing-panic/849830/3 "2020-03-20T01:36:55Z")

</div>

To ease panic, drink less. To obliterate panic, drink more. Remember: epidemic = EPIC and pandemic = PANIC.

Anther way to ease panic: test EVERYBODY so we have some fucking idea of what’s coming at us. Testing a few hundred out of a population of millions (cf Louisiana and New Jersey) tells us nothing except that leaders are incompetent, which we already knew.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategies-for-easing-panic/849830/4 "2020-03-20T02:05:36Z")

</div>

> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#):
>
> I feel at this point real numbers and better stats would have a positive effect on panic. How could a model be built that would somewhat accurately predict unreported infections? Random sampling? What kind of numbers would ease fears? Can case studies and histories create a model that might reflect unreported cases?

My wife literally does this kind of stuff for a living.

Yes, you could construct a statistical analysis plan to randomly sample and figure out the extent and growth of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Once you had that you could actually get a handle on how deadly is really is, too, which we do not actually know. Once you did that I agree you could cut down on panic, if for no other reason than people would be vastly more confident the government had a true handle on this, and they’d be able to see progress and a projected endpoint.  
That’s a big, big, job though. And in most places the testing kits are not available.

---

<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\
**Post date:** [March 20, 2020, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/strategies-for-easing-panic/849830/5 "2020-03-20T02:30:10Z")

</div>

> [@HoneyBadgerDC](#):
>
> I feel at this point real numbers and better stats would have a positive effect on panic.

No. The real numbers would be so much worse than the published numbers so it would increase panic.