More like the opening pages of The Stand.
Chances are that by the time a fast-moving, highly contagious disease was recognized to be a threat, it would be widespread enough that the damage would be done. Every time you walk through the ER, there are people presenting with URT symptoms, sniffles and sneezing among them--in this scenario, any one of them could be transmitting the new variant by air.
Small groups would be most likely to survive, and those with limited human contact outside the group. (Think wilderness area hikers, families on camping trips, etc.) Virtually anyone in a large population cluster would be toast unless they had some natural immunity which is unknown. Most would take it home to or catch it from their families before they knew they were infected.
Defoe's Journal of the Plague Years might be closer, but this could be far worse.
Of course, the question remains of whether the survivors would be able to salvage stuff from the ruins without getting infected themselves, and if so, how soon? Without that capability, civilization as we know it would be set back a few centuries at best within a generation.
Well, I’m pretty alert to seeing influxes of persons with strange patterns of Flu.
2 years ago we had an influx of young folks 18 to 25 come in with Flu sx’s and strange streaky temps” during the H1ni/scare. They never called it pneumonia per se, pneumonitis was used a few times as a dx and all the bacterial cultures came back negative...at least the initial ones.(They got prophylactically treated for potential bacterial “ride ins”) Of course all of them seemed to test “negative” for any sort of flu, but I felt at the time the data was being “hushed” up.
Massive steroids and antipyretics helped them get past the “crash” stage but they were intubated for a week or more. One I remember was a rather “cut” young man, one who one would never think that could get so sick! A number of staff became ill off and on at the same time but we’d all had flu shots provided by the hospital so none of the staff got so ill that they needed to be hospitalized. But it was a “flu” that just sort of “hung” on to those of us that had it for a month or more...the initial symptoms would ease up and we’d come back to work, but low energy and sinus/cough issues persisted for up to a month in most of us.
I suppose if I saw a suddden influx of folks with atypical flu sx’s(and one gets a feel for when the patterns don’t fit right)...I’ll isolate myself from my family and tell my wife and kids to take cover and do little out in public as much as possible. The kids thru school might have already had exposure but if no symptoms..they might have gotten lucky enough to have avoided it.
“Of course, the question remains of whether the survivors would be able to salvage stuff from the ruins without getting infected themselves”
I would assume there would be a few people who would be immune for some reason.
“Of course, the question remains of whether the survivors would be able to salvage stuff from the ruins without getting infected themselves”
I would assume there would be a few people who would be immune for some reason.
Q: And I assume this large scale outbreak is what overpowers the health care systems?
MA: There will never be a real opportunity for containment. This is not Hollywood. No hero will develop a magical antidote just in time to save the beautiful woman. No, this event is of such a consequence that, by the time the scale is apparent, the issue will be settled.
Because the virus is airborne the first three days of outbreaks will saturate such a large population that all the wheels will rapidly come off even the best health care systems. The first task will be to understand what is happening and it will, all to rapidly, become apparent that it is a very hot bug and that it is pandemic.
But by the time the extent of what has happened is well known - there will be no recourse.
Child, there is no recourse even now. We cannot kill this creature. We have only kept it at bay for these many years and that era of detente is rapidly ending.
Q: But MA, you make it sound so hopeless. How could you believe such a thing?
MA: There are things that I believe and things that I know. This virus and its coming change are something I know. I know in detail and specificity that defies all common understanding - yet my knowledge remains.
And now you know.
Read that on the Kindle. Very interesting. Also remember that in the3 event of the big one, it is the second and third wave that get you. Also remember the black death isn’t quit what they say it was