Systemic response adaptation : does flattening the curve really matter ?

DISCLAIMER : I am not a researcher, nor a healthcare worker, just a collective intelligence facilitator. This is a proposal intended to inspire the experts, it has to be reviewed and amended if needed.

The systemic response to an epidemic has several components

Knowledge and its diffusion : scientific research + scicomm
Technologies : protection, detection and healthcare equipments
Medical supply : tests, drugs, vaccines
Culture and behaviors : social organization, remote work, social distanciation, mobility reduction

During the epidemic, the components of the systemic response adapts and tend to reduce the number of cases while improving the quality of the healthcare. Healthcare workers also have more time to collaborate with researchers when they are not overwhelmed.

When the curve is flattened, the systemic reponse has more time to adapt so it can prevent more deaths and manage more efficiently all cases.

The epidemic is managed, so the economic system can reorganize and keep working under « managed conditions ».

When herd immunity is needed, vaccine research and deployment can be optimally designed and scheduled.

NB : It is highly recommended to pay attention to every small fast growing cluster, especially if a weak systemic response is predictable in the cluster’s area. Each of them is the potential beginning of a new epidemic wave.