PANDEMIC

Again, the pandemic occupies my mind but not yet my cardio/pulmonary systems.  PTL!

Here is a piece of an article by Contagion about a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) from January 2019.  The WHO was enumerating the greatest infectious disease health threats for that year.  Interesting that they knew, a full year before it hit, that we were not prepared for a viral attack they were sure was to come.  The WHO called it disease X.

"The WHO also notes that preparation for disease X, an unknown pathogen that could cause a severe epidemic, should also be a focus.

A simulation designed to pinpoint the challenges in preparedness and current policies that need to be addressed in order to prevent a severe pandemic indicates that the United States is far from ready for a widespread pandemic with a novel pathogen. The Clade X simulation was conducted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security in May 2018 as an exercise focused on high-level strategies, decisions, and policies that are needed to prevent a pandemic from spiraling out of control. "

On another note, here are the CDC estimates for influenza (the flu) in the U.S. per season in past years.

2019-2020   18,000,000 medical visits, 405,000 hospitalizations, 22,000 deaths

2018-2019   16,500,000 medical visits, 490,600 hospitalizations, 34,200 deaths

2017-2018   20,700,000 medical visits, 800,000 hospitalizations, 61,000 deaths

2016-2017   13,600,000 medical visits, 497,000 hospitalizations, 38,200 deaths

Coronavirus in the U.S.to date:  14,900,000 cases, 287,000 deaths

Accurate statistics are difficult but it is generally accepted that a current average of about 600,000 infant deaths by abortion occur in the U.S. each year. 

😢