The China Coronavirus Will Test the U.S., Too

As the Wuhan coronavirus spreads to America, it now seems quite possible the United States will face some considerable logistical challenges. Even if the virus turns out not to be very deadly, or mutates into a safer form, the public will not know that for some time. In the meantime, a mix of justifiable risk-aversion and perhaps panic will strain U.S. institutions. It is worth thinking through what some of the major problems might be.

First, most emergency rooms are not equipped to handle a very high volume of cases, especially infectious diseases. It is not just a lack of beds and medical personnel. Imagine an emergency room crowded with people who had fever symptoms, whether from the coronavirus or not. Then imagine you injure yourself in some other manner and require immediate medical attention. How comfortable would you feel waiting in that room?