What a pandemic level COVID response for the USA will look like (Spoiler- its not good)

(everyone's going to get it)

Statistically speaking, if we blindly accept the ridiculously fake numbers that have been reported by CCP propaganda and pretend that those fake numbers are true, most victims recover with just flu-type symptoms.

That's false no matter how many times you keep posting it to make yourself feel better.

I am a paramedic in a medium sized community in the Pacific Northwest. If you're wondering how communities such as mine are already prepared or are preparing to handle a pandemic outbreak, the answer is not at all. No healthcare systems in my area, and I would speculate the whole of America- are adequately equipped to handle an outbreak similar to what we are seeing in Wuhan.

The way it works currently is that when a disaster is declared (such as a hurricane), FEMA gets activated and will send personnel, ambulances and supplies to a disaster zone. Those personnel and ambulances come from other communities across the USA.

If the entire USA is dealing with an outbreak simultaneously, there will be no spare resources coming from those typical locations. There is very little 'surge' capability. Similar to how a grocery store stocks just enough eggs to meet consumer demand on any given day, healthcare systems are prepared to handle the standard amount of patients on any given day. Most emergency rooms are already full on your typical Friday.

It gets worse.

1) There is minimal stockpiling of supplies such as masks, gowns, or gloves. Like the rest of corporate america, our healthcare system uses as-you-need-it supply systems, meaning stock is already low. This also applies to medications. ALL medications. Think about THAT for a minute.
2) The kind of protection you see healthcare workers wearing in the videos from China is not typically available to ambulance personnel or typically anyone outside of a major hospital. Certainly stocks of that level of protection is not prevalent enough for every healthcare worker to wear, each and every day.
3) Nationwide, standard ambulances are not equipped to handle highly infectious airborne diseases, and typically do not have any disinfectant UV light systems. The same for your typical hospital room/bed.
4) Standard hospitals have just a few negative pressure rooms capable of isolating airborne patients. Thats just a few rooms in communities of thousands and millions.

So how will the USA contain an outbreak? Answer: we won't. At a certain outbreak level, we probably won't even bother to isolate patients.

Most containment efforts and supplies will probably come fromTHE MILITARY. I don't know for sure, but they are probably the only ones with enough resources/supplies to do it. Maybe they have all the supplies stockpiled somewhere already. Maybe they don't. But that means a military unit/response in every community, everywhere. Regardless if the military is prepared or not, the reponse would be the same, as they serve the dual role of maintaining societal order.

I anticipate the breakdown of local healthcare systems entirely. Workers, such as me, will hesitate to show up to work knowing that there is little adequate protection gear. If you were in my shoes, would you come to work? Something to think about, at least. As a patient, would you even want to get in my ambulance and go to my ER? Are you going to call 911? Where is YOUR hazmat suit? You won't be protected from the last patient that was on the bed either. I hope this isn't the time you have chest pain or any kind of trauma, because good luck.

I hesitate to make these predictions- because everything is so speculative and its perhaps too easy to imagine the worse case scenario. On the plus side, I would calculate that any Wuhan level outbreak that happens in the USA wouldn't happen everywhere simultaneously, (at least at first) allowing resources to be concentrated at the site of each outbreak. How many resources are available from the military is anyone's guess, so who knows what it would take to overwhelm the system.

YOU SHOULD BE GETTING READY RIGHT NOW. If you're waiting for the CDC, or the WHO, or Trump, or your favorite news network to tell you to get ready, well spoiler alert: they won't. Not until the LAST MINUTE. The emptying of every Wal-Mart of toilet paper and bottled water isn't going to help anyone in the long term, and societal panic just leads to high crime and economic crashes. Like one of those black Friday videos x 1000, with everyone losing their job and 401k too.

Go do some research on 'preparing for when shit hits the fan.' Make a plan for you and your family. DO NOT PANIC, but act rationally, according to your plan. Plan for your plan to have hiccups and fail. What are your contingencies? What are you going to do? BE PREPARED.

You are NOT ready right now.

If you get ready now and nothing happens with this virus, the worse that happens is that you're just more prepared for the next hurricane or wild fire or whatever happens in your area. Your efforts are literally money in the 'bank'.

I leave you with this to think about too: it doesn't matter if the virus hits your town or state or not, people just have to BELIEVE its a threat and society will break down all the same.

Let's all pray that this will not get crazy.

I work for a California state agency. I saw this coming a month ago and arranged for my group to have remote access to their desktops so we could work from home if necessary. I didn't give a specific reason, just said we should have a continuity of business plan in place. My true reason for doing so was this virus.

Our agency had a presentation for the entire department regarding safety about two weeks ago. They allowed questions to be asked of the deputy directors by staff. One of the questions was about the Coronavirus and what they were doing to prepare. The answer was they hadn't been advised to do anything out of the ordinary, asidd from the usual COB plans they'd make, say for a fire or flood. They did say they were keeping close tabs on the situation. They are taking this seriously. I just don't think they're getting much from the Governor, the feds or even the Office of Emergency Services.

I don't think the medical system is complete crap, its just not prepared to handle something of this scope.

Many people are going to die.

Excellent post - should be pinned, IMO.

Excellent post - should be pinned, IMO.

I have a heart condition (anomalous coronary artery) and also also on ORT (Opioid replacement therapy). I take Metoprolol and suboxone daily. Aside from an act of God I am ready to die when the fan has begun to aerosolize the shit. Or even perhaps before :)

So it's a gamble. We're all surfing angel' s breath.

If we prep, it could cause a panic for no reason.

And we're fucked.

If we don't prep, we're fucked.

Seems to me we are all at the mercy of each other and the institutions we've built.

THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR POLITICAL ASSHOLERY!!! LJS

Why are people so set on Ramen noodles for survival? They are awful. Salty, flavourless

I work for medical professionals in the service industry, there are a few homes that I go to every few weeks. I have a policy that I can not go into any room with closed doors. Since the outbreak, one home, in particular, will NOT let me go into two rooms.

It's an ER doc. I believe he is preparing.

Nice post OP, we are already prepped and have been for years. I'll lose some weight, but that's not entirely a bad thing. We have room for family, (immediate) and a well for water. Our water table is so high we can literally dip a bucket for water. We are very rural on 13 acres, and deer are all to plentiful. We also have 2 freezers full of food.