Should you skip Thanksgiving due to the pandemic? Manitoba’s top doctor says yes Wohl said the longer the pandemic goes on, the more desensitized people become to the numbers.“According to prospect theory, there’s a diminishing sensitivity as numbers increase,” Wohl said.“When we first heard the number of COVID cases increasing from 5 to 10, it felt more than when we heard the numbers had increased from 100 to 105.”[ Sign up for our Health IQ newsletter for the latest coronavirus updates ]Wohl recently co-authored a scientific study about COVID-19 death rates in 84 countries around the world, and found that trust plays a part in coronavirus death rates.People in societies that are more civically engaged and trusting of state institutions.