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We have three paths forward in the US:

1) Allow the virus to spread nearly unchecked. This means it spreads almost exponentially, eventually overwhelming hospitals and causing seriously ill people to not be treated. We've seen how this plays out in Wuhan.

2) Ban public gatherings, close schools and many businesses, and lock down freedom of movement. It's effective, but requires these measures to be in place for several weeks. This is China's and Italy's approach to the virus.

3) Don't restrict freedom of movement and have limited restrictions on public gatherings. Conduct testing for the virus on a massive scale, isolate infected individuals to prevent them from spreading the virus, and administer treatment as early as possible. This is also effective, with resources being shifted to testing instead of enforcing large scale quarantines. This is South Korea's approach to the virus.

So far, we're following the first path most closely. I find this quite alarming. I very much prefer the third option, because it prioritizes early detection and treatment while minimizing the impact on everyone's lives. I fear that we aren't going to do nearly enough testing and too many infected people won't be isolated soon enough. Out of panic, we'll end up with some form of the second option, which is already being considered to some degree. Our leaders are failing us, repeatedly promising to rapidly scale up testing throughout the country, then failing to do so. The obsession with minimizing panic is paralyzing us from responding. The absence of good information and the insistence on downplaying the threat are probably creating more panic than they're preventing.

We need to get through this crisis first, then we need to hold all of our leaders accountable. We need a change of leadership at many levels of our government so that those who are failing us don't have the opportunity to do this again. And we need to eliminate the sick culture in this country, which is the perception that it's frowned upon to take vacation or miss work when you're ill.

And, as Spock said, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one. I'm very disappointed that the father of Missouri's first coronavirus case chose to ignore his quarantine and go to a school dance with his daughter. I understand the desire to enjoy those moments with children, but not at the expense of risking the exposure of many others to the virus. It's a selfish act that cannot even be explained by the fear of missing work and the need to pay the bills. I suspect there are many more people doing this, but we just don't hear about them. Just like during WW2, when we asked everyone to make sacrifices for the war effort, we need everyone to choose to put the interests of others ahead of their own selfishness. If our leaders weren't failing us, we'd test the family of the coronavirus patient instead of imposing quarantines for people who may not be ill. But we need to make the best of a bad situation and everyone needs to do their part.