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Disease Modelers are Facing Criticism That is Affecting Their Work

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It's been one month since the first coronavirus death in the United States has occurred. Since then, America has become the epic center of the world and faces a large amount of uncertainty.

New cases and deaths caused by the virus continue to multiply. Hospitals in New York and Louisiana are being flooded with patients and are unable to receive the proper care they need.

Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and Republicans are desperate to end the drastic restrictions occurring across the county in order to save the economy and protect American lives.

How plausible is this?

That's the million dollar question and it is exactly why epidemiology exists.

Practitioners have used scientific principles and math to understand disease. They've been able to project consequences of the virus and are figuring out ways the United States can survive and overcome this difficult time in our lives.

Their models aren't meant to predict the future exactly, but to serve as guidance. They are supposed to allow politicians to foresee any challenges and make the best choices for the public good.

But in 2020 practitioners are dealing with more than the following the curve of coronavirus, they are also being called a "hoax" by President Trump.

Trump supporters have consistently pushed that these models have been created to hurt the president's reelection efforts. They believe that the models suggesting we keep the United States shutdown longer will damage the economy and will be the Democrats ploy to take him out of office.

This type of criticism is really troubling for epidemiologists because they fear their research will be ignored by federal leaders when it is needed the most.

For more information, read the full article on the Washington Post.


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