Even though the U.S. has been so non-compliant with shelter-in-place that we are now facing a much longer stretch of it than might have been necessary, which is deeply frustrating, please don’t feel that those of you who have been responsible and sacrificed to stay home for the last two months have wasted your efforts.
Without what we’ve done so far, the healthcare system in New York would surely have been overwhelmed, with dire consequences for many. Hospitals would’ve been forced into horrific triage calculations, with long-term trauma consequences for everyone involved. The country as a whole would have suffered many more deaths by this point.
We are tired and grieving, but I promise you, it would have been so much worse.
I know it’s hard to really absorb the truth of things that didn’t happen, but you should be proud of what you’ve done to help flatten the curve and reduce harm so far. It mattered.