The total count of cumulative cases will never decrease unless the disease is eradicated — that’s not a likely scenario, nor used by experts to gauge disease spread. But, multiple daily counts can indicate when the curve is “flattening,” signaling that all cases are plateauing. Since cases began to grow exponentially in the U.S., the public health goal has largely revolved around mitigating spread and preparing for potential patient surge by bulking up the health care system. In theory, if the former — reducing spread through social distancing — succeeds, the latter — overtaxing the healthcare system — becomes less of a threat. Essentially, if public health strategies work, worst-case-scenario preparations become less necessary.
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