Coronavirus' New "Best Case" Scenario
The title of this recent article at Zerohedge.com speaks volumes:
Leaked Covid-19 Documents: Hospitals Prep For 96 Million Infections & 480K Deaths
"Leaked medical conference documents have warned that hospitals across the United States are preparing for 96 million coronavirus infections. Not only that, but the same document wants hospitals to make preparations for 480,000 deaths from this outbreak.
"....it’s worth noting that Dr. Lawler’s estimate of 480,000 deaths would indicate a death rate of just half a percent (0.5%), which is significantly lower than death rates being reported by the WHO (3.4%) and the nation of Italy (5%). If the death rate in the United States reached just 2% while 96 million Americans are infected, that would result in 1.92 million deaths.
The United States has fewer than one million hospital beds, and they are typically around 75% occupied by existing patients, unrelated to the coronavirus. Natural News has calculated that U.S. hospital beds will be overrun by May 30th if nothing is done to stop the exponential spread of the coronavirus....
As Alt-Market's Brandon Smith notes, it is also likely that hospitals are prepping for only 480,000 deaths because that is the maximum number of terminally ill patients their facilities can handle anyway.
If Italy is any indication and this virus does not burn out soon, the death rate will probably be between 3%-5%."
If you're young enough and healthy enough, that percentage probably won't include you among the fatalities. But it doesn't acknowledge those who survive with significant lung damage, and it doesn't acknowledge mutation of the virus and re-infection with a slightly different strain of COVID-19, or 20, or 21.... as it may take years for the surviving/remaining population to have a significant immunity built up.
Eventually there will be a vaccine or the virus will have run its course and fade into the background like so many other viruses that the world has largely adjusted to. But until then, the death toll (even if it "only" focus on the old and weak) could be several per cent of the population. It is starting to seem like 10-15 million dead in the United States alone is very plausible in 2020.
Consider the impact on the medical industry - the ability of hospitals to provide care.
The trucking industry, which may cease to function for distributing supplies.
The education system, which may shut down to minimize the spread of disease.
The financial system, which is very dependent on rosy perception, Chinese production, and JIT (just in time) inventory replenishment.
And this new plague is just one factor among many that may impact us in the 2020s, if anything I've been writing about for years remains relevant - then WWIII and a pole shift could whack humanity with a double and triple whammy. In addition to worrying about being physically prepared, please get your spiritual "house" in order. Think about those big life questions on the greater meaning of things. Pray. Get right with God. Achieving spiritual peace of mind will be important, in more ways than you think.