[wretchard]

Well, if the demand increases for medical personnel, wages are sure to rise. People will sell their houses if that's what it takes to get treatment. However, it won't be so easy to produce trained medical personnel (or software developers) in the short haul. Our medical facilities are sized to meet the forecasted demand. If the load doubled or tripled by a crisis like SARS, the system will begin to collapse. This has all been gamed in bioattack scenarios, and laughed at by the sceptics. Fewer people are laughing now.

[Judith Anne]

Wages may rise, but there are sure to be other problems. For instance, I'm a nurse, and I struggle to give a sense of personal and yes, loving, care, dressed at times in mask gown and gloves. I make eye contact and perform any extra service I can to ease the isolation of those in isolation. I talk, I try to take the mystery out of it, increase the little comfort measures...

How am I going to do that in a space suit? Gonna be tough. How do I tell the loved ones, you can't kiss your wife, you can't kiss your child, it won't help your mom for you to get sick, too...No training in the world prepares you for that...no law can mandate that...

[Judith Anne]

Suppose I quit, and stay at home with my family, in the worst case scenario.

When the neighbors come knocking for help, and I love them too, how will I say no?

I'm thinking waaaaay out of the box, thinking about professional and personal ethics...