Why outbreaks like coronavirus spread exponentially, and how to “flatten the curve”

Check out this article in the Washington Post that shows simulations of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak and what we can do to “flatten the curve.”

“Fortunately, there are other ways to slow an outbreak. Above all, health officials have encouraged people to avoid public gatherings, to stay home more often and to keep their distance from others. If people are less mobile and interact with each other less, the virus has fewer opportunities to spread.

Some people will still go out. Maybe they cannot stay home because of their work or other obligations, or maybe they simply refuse to heed public health warnings. Those people are not only more likely to get sick themselves, they are more likely to spread simulitis, too.

Let’s see what happens when a quarter of our population continues to move around while the other three quarters adopt a strategy of what health experts call ‘social distancing.'”