[First Amendment]

I asked this question on another SARS thread - so forgive me if you saw it there - but does anyone have an educated guess what the death rate might be if no hospitalization is available? Say too many patients, not enough beds or medical workers? This is an important point I have hardly seen addressed.

[Judith Anne]

As far as the death rate being higher, if not enough medical personnel or special hospital rooms were available...I can only offer an educated guess. First of all, if you don't have negative air flow rooms--that is, rooms that don't let germs out--other patients could become contaminated. That's still a possibility if patients aren't put on isolation precautions...even from housekeeping or dietary if infection prevention protocols aren't used...or if someone slips up...

Then, if the pneumonia patients need respirators and they're all busy...

My guess is the death toll could go higher... The ribavarin/steroid combo--ribavarin is sort of expensive, steroid are mostly really cheap....