I've seen almost identical graphs explaining natural flood management. If you Slow the Flow and Attenuate the Peak, the water - or virus - doesn't overwhelm the defences at the bottom of the catchment.
Same principle, same maths.
#coronavirus
Same principle, same maths.
#coronavirus
It's because of this maths that Boris Johnson's suggestion that perhaps the government should allow #coronavirus to move through the population "in one go" is catastrophically wrong. You might have hoped he'd be properly briefed by now.
But there's a long-standing belief in this country, cultivated in private schools, in "short sharp shocks" and "taking it on the chin". Just as long as it's someone else's chin.
It's a classic instance of the Heroic Failure narrative documented by @fotoole. Better to go down fighting than to listen, think and persist.
Bizarrely, some rightwing Tories, such as @OwenPaterson and @trussliz, have the same attitude to flooding. Speed the water down the catchment by dredging the rivers, to get it all out quickly. Thereby overwhelming flood defences and inundating the towns downstream.
This cavalier mindset, so prevalent among people whose wealth and privilege insulates them from the consequences, will be the death of us.
