Re: government "figuring something out"
What do you think a better, more accessible, sustainable and cost effective solution is in comparison with mask wearing and social distancing?
For starters, if I were governor of Ohio, I would:
1) Immediately allow schools and colleges to fully reopen without any restrictions whatsoever. Staff who felt vulnerable could opt out with paid leave for 12 months or, for colleges, remotely lecture from an alternate location.
2) Dedicate all the resources being wasted by our colleges and universities to nursing homes and hospitals. Universities are basically engaged in a PR stunt right now with all the testing, contact tracing, etc. There have been over 5,000,000 tests, with 150,000 positive tests, on students. There have been a grand total of 15 hospitalizations and 0 deaths. This group is 99.997% not at risk. It's an incredible waste of resources that could be better spent on protecting the more vulnerable populations that need protected.
3) Use these tests and designate family members as essential workers eligible to be tested two times a week so they can visit loved ones in nursing homes. What we are doing to our elderly is one of the great crimes in modern history. NBC had a tragic story this week quoting nursing home industry professionals from across the country stating that loneliness, despair, and anxiety are greater threats to this population than COVID.
4) Stop the sanitation silliness, which is again a waste of resources. The scientific consensus (from what I've read in WaPo/The Atlantic) is that surface spread is minimal and that the focus should be on ventilation. I would provide grants to stores, restaurants, etc. to improve ventilation.
5) Ensure that PCR tests are not cycling at above 35 cycles (many currently have 40 cycles, which is absurd). Per Fauci, while above 35 is "technically positive, the chances of that being replication competent are extremely low. In other words, you could have a PCR-positive test and yet still not be contagious."
6) Have to be frank -- the science supporting non-fitted cloth masks is bunk, so I would not mandate masks. If we could distribute N-95s to every household, and have them all professionally fitted, that's a different story.
7) Continue the emphasis on treatments, as that is our best hope. Our treatments have improved to such a degree that COVID deaths are starting to fall in line with all cause mortality.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-covid-deaths-age-related-pattern-expert.html8) Acknowledge that obesity is the second most important correlation for fatal outcomes (behind age). Be honest with citizens and tell those at risk that being obese puts them at far greater risk.
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In sum, I would target our resources and get on with life. I think holistic public health has suffered greatly and I think we need to pivot to more sane and humanitarian policy.