As we reported yesterday, with the world sharing its data, we are starting to get a better handle on understanding the coronavirus.

This real-time exchange of data and insights going on across the globe right now is invaluable to global efforts to fight the spread of covid-19 more effectively.

Germany has recently contributed two important pieces to the puzzle.

We are starting to win the war for data on covid-19 and this is leading to smarter practices that will flatten the curve, reduce deaths and get folks back to work.

Finally, some encouraging news.

It’s amazing that people are still being chided for taking steps to protect themselves from the coronavirus, when anyone with eyes can see that the spread of the disease is fast overwhelming authorities’ ability to deal with it.

A citizen DIY movement, not unlike the WW2 victory gardens, could and should be promoted, making millions of masks in short order for us all to wear — just as they’re doing in the Czech Republic with the #Masks4All movement.

Picking up from yesterday’s video rebutting the latest media campaign of “It’s not going to be that bad” opinion pieces from ‘experts’, Chris investigates the cost of being wrong in these predictions.

This is important because government and health care response policies are being influenced by these experts. If we pick the wrong policies, millions of lives and trillions in wealth are at stake.

If the projections prove correct, pretty soon everyone will know someone who has coronavirus. And following soon after, most of us will know folks who die from it.

Given that the average age of those reading this article is somewhere between 50-70, and that the virus’ fatality rate increases with a person’s age, a morbid but important question arises:

What will happen if you die from this thing?

All through February and into early March, the media was awash with headlines that scoffed “Don’t worry — it’s just the flu”.

While most of those news outlets have pivoted and are now more likely to print sensationally fearful articles (the same who accused our data driven approach as “fear mongering” just weeks ago), we’re seeing a new campaign now of opinion pieces by credentialed ‘experts’ claiming the virus may not be as bad as initially expected.

In today’s video, Chris goes through a number of these recent articles and addresses them point by point.

Governments around the world are struggling to answer: What’s the bigger priority, saving lives or the economy?

Lots of strong opinions on both sides and not lot a lot of agreement (yet).

China-style lockdowns are hard for most leaders to swallow, as they result in gut-wrentching economic losses, mass job layoffs, and supply shortages.

But keeping people at work or returning them too soon risks higher infection rates, likely overwhelming the health care system for *everyone*, likely resulting in a lot more avoidable deaths.

No matter the path chosen, reducing the rate of spread of the pandemic is something that benefits everyone.

Rich, famous, royal, powerful — it doesn’t matter, all socioeconomic strata are coming down with covid-19