> The postponement of mortality only becomes the true avoidance of mortality when we get a "game-changer": a vaccine or a highly effective treatment that seriously improves outcomes.
I don't think this is correct. Every day that passes by, we learn a little bit more about this virus and get a little better at treating it. For example, in the past few weeks doctors have discovered better ventilator protocols [1] and potential benefits of anticoagulants [2] in treating Covid-19 patients.
None of these are "game-changers" but they incrementally improve patient outcomes and that's a good thing. The more time we buy to make discoveries like these, the better off we will be.
Put another way: would you rather have been of the first few patients in Wuhan when doctors had no idea what this virus was or how to treat it, or would you rather have it now? What about a few months from now?