Reply #13: The exact numbers don't and probably won't matter, decisions will be based on general patterns

[HereSince1628]

of increasing and ultimately decreasing incidence (attack rate=new cases/surveillence period).

This will be based on laboratory confirmed cases.

Which means a sticken person must see a doctor or a coroner/medical examiner so that a specimen can be collected and sent to a lab.

The exact number will never be known, because 1) there are 40 million Americans without health care and 2) many people, especially men are generally unwilling to go to the doctor. Many people will get sick and recover and never go to the doctor.

The cases contributing to the rise and fall of the epidemic wave will only be rougly approximated from those who show up in clinics. Efforts for mitigation will be in place until the cases that get confirmed in the lab fall.

This isn't anything new and it needn't be considered a catastrophic fault in monitoring and acting to mitigate the epidemic.

I'm just saying the exact number of cases isn't going to be what is used to fight the epidemic.