Cost vs benefit analysis of responses to SARS-CoV-2 pandemic 1. 3 month global quarantine Rolling hard 3 month quarantines with 24/7 curfew in every country, one country at a time, travel bans except between countries that have quarantined and eradicated SARS-CoV-2 Cost: 17,500,000,000,000 USD (70000000000000 USD world annual GDP * .25 years) Time: 3 months Lives lost: 500,000 2. Global N95 respirator and face mask use Entire world population wearing N95 respirator or face mask at all times for 3 months to prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 Cost: 7,800,000,000 USD (7800000000 world population * 1 USD per mask) Time: 0 (DIY cloth or paper mask) - 2 months (N95, 100000000 unit production rate per day) Lives lost: 500,000 3. Mass RT-PCR test + Selective quarantine Testing entire world population to find all infected, 3 month quarantine for infected only Cost: 780,000,000,000 USD (7800000000 world population * 100 USD per test) Time: 780 days (7800000000 world population / 10000000 tests per day) Lives lost: >500,000 4. Mass vaccination Creation of vaccine for SARS-CoV-2 and deployment to entire world population Cost: 7,801,000,000,000 USD (7800000000 world population * 1000 USD per dose + 1000000000 USD R&D cost) Time: 18 months (new record) - 4 years (average) Lives lost: ~10,000,000 (100% effective, UNLIKELY) - 624,000,000 (SARS-CoV-2 mutates, VERY LIKELY) 5. Antiviral drug, cure Antiviral treatment to cure SARS-CoV-2 infection Cost: 5,000,000,000 USD (8000000 infected population * 500 USD per dose + 1000000000 USD R&D cost) - 3,120,000,000,000 USD (7800000000 world population * 80% of population infected * 500 USD per dose) Time: 6 months - 18 months Lives lost: ~1,000,000 5. Do nothing Cost: 0 USD Time: 0 Lives lost: 624,000,000 (10% mortality rate * 80% of population infected * 7800000000 world population) There are only 2 solutions to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic that will work, either global 3 month quarantine or mandatory global N95 respirator use. The cheapest and most effective solution is global N95 respirator and face mask use for at least 3 months. This solution will completely prevent transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from infected to susceptible, regardless if SARS-CoV-2 mutates or not. 3 month period is sufficient for all asymptomatic carriers to recover and cease to be contagious. Mask use is also the only solution that can be implemented from the bottom-up by individuals. Mass RT-PCR test will not work because of insufficient RT-PCR testing capacity. Impossible to test entire world population, let alone quickly enough to ensure confirmed negative results do not become infected from untested, thus requiring more tests to reconfirm status. Mass vaccination will not work because of scientific infeasibility of creating vaccines for RNA viruses like SARS-CoV-2. A vaccine has never been created for RNA virus or coronavirus like common cold or the original SARS-CoV, which SARS-CoV-2 is a derived strain. Even if scientifically possible, economically and industrially impossible to produce, distribute and administer 7 billion doses of vaccine required to eradicate SARS-CoV-2. When SARS-CoV-2 mutates, like all RNA viruses, vaccine becomes useless. Potential ADE and complications from vaccine. Antiviral cure is unlikely to work, because of economic infeasibility of producing doses faster than people are being infected. Do nothing, business-as-usual causes Black-Death level event every year indefinitely. Possible ELE if reinfection or infection-associated sterility confirmed.