Source:

https://www.cdc.gov/ncird/downloads/fs-flu-plan-response.pdf

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/deaths.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/index.htm

https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html

Number of deaths for leading causes of death annually:

• Heart disease: 647,457
• Cancer: 599,108
• Accidents (unintentional injuries):169,936
• Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 160,201
• Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 146,383
• Alzheimer's disease: 121,404
• Diabetes: 83,564
• Influenza and Pneumonia: 55,672
• Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 50,633
• Intentional self-harm (suicide):47,173

Look at these data and answer these questions below critically.

1. a) In the first week of class, we learned aboutcostsandbenefitsin economic decision making. What are thebenefitsof a government mandated economic lockdown?

b) What are thecostsof a government mandated economic lockdown?

c) Looking at your answers from parts a) and b), does it make sense for governments around the world to respond to theCOVID-19 pandemic the way they have had?

2/California has a population of roughly 40 million people. In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, California Governor Gavin Newsom said over 25 million Californians would get infected with Covid-19.

(https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/19/coronavirus-california-estimates-25point5-million-residents-56percent-of-the-state-will-get-virus-in-next-8-weeks.html)

a) Should Governor Newsom show Californians the data and mathematical estimates of how he came up with the potential 25 million infections?

c) In hindsight, why was the governor's number of infections way off?

3. Air travel is an essential thing of modern living. Without air travel, the Covid-19 virus would have not be able to spread very quickly. Lessons learned for future pandemics, should the U.S. government shut down or limit a lot of air travel into the country for a period of time and explain your reasons?