China Virus Threat 2020

[CharlesHarris]

I read some weeks ago that a few of the young Jedi were summoned to Army Medical Command to assess pandemic response contingency plans. They would have been subject to the usual non-disclosure agreements, of course. Even with that knowledge and a general knowledge of the DoD Pandemic response plan, I was surprised by the level of panic of this past week. Call it normalcy bias.

I expected cities to have some shortages. And industry to have some supply chain problems, particularly with PPE and expendable med supplies like IV lines, catheters, etc. I did not expect full on stupid from most everyone. Panic buying and hoarding of anything of value.

And I really didn’t expect it out in the little rural burgs. A wake up call for sure.
I also didn’t anticipate the reduced policing and early release of folks jailed without bail but awaiting trial. I certainly didn’t expect government ordered shuttering of businesses, schools, houses of worship and banning public assembly.

The whole government response smells bad. They are using the financial response to the 2008 housing crisis and adding a questionable (and unnecessary) level of population and resource control. These are counter-insurgency methods right out of the Iraq playbook.

I’m going to generously assume that it’s a case of horrendous unconscious incompetence. Folks grasping at straws and doing what’s familiar to buy time. The other possible explanations I can think of are unpleasant even to ponder.

The good news is that POTUS has gotten FDA to authorize someone off label uses of common drugs that look promising. Cutting that red tape has real value. The relatively new “right to try” laws are also helpful in finding safe therapies without expensive and time consuming rigorous clinical trials.

Good job Team POTUS.