Altruism, like the coronavirus, spreads exponentially.
"It’s not only pathogens like the coronavirus that spread exponentially. For decades psychologists have documented the dark side of 'social contagion': binge-eating, risk-taking, and countless other deleterious behaviors. Yet only recently have academics turned their attention to the phenomenon’s brighter side. Their findings are heartening. Kindness, it turns out, is also contagious.
"This is important to keep in mind as we track both the brutal trajectory of the coronavirus and our response to the crisis. Thousands of everyday people are donating their time and money to help strangers. In a way, we’re witnessing dueling contagions: one deadly, the other ameliorative. Mirror images of each other."
Article: The Spreading of the Kindness Contagion
Communication
A pandemic is a communication emergency as much as a medical crisis.
The initial coronavirus outbreaks on the East and West Coasts emerged at roughly the same time. But the danger was communicated very differently. And because of the ways the message was conveyed the outbreaks in both places have been very different.
"The initial coronavirus outbreaks in New York City emerged at roughly the same time as those in Seattle. But the cities’ experiences with the disease have markedly differed. By the second week of April, Washington State had roughly one recorded fatality per fourteen thousand residents. New York’s rate of death was nearly six times higher."
"Public-health officials say that American culture poses special challenges. Our freedoms to assemble, to speak our minds, to ignore good advice, and to second-guess authority can facilitate the spread of a virus. 'We’re not China—we can’t order people to stay inside,' Dr. Richard Besser, a former acting C.D.C. director said. 'Democracy is a great thing, but it means, for something like covid-19, we have to persuade people to coöperate if we want to save their lives.'”
Article: Seattle’s Leaders Let Scientists Take the Lead. New York’s Did Not.