The docs fight back!

"In any event, if COVID - 19 is seasonal, like Dr. Fauci fears, we will be much more prepared for it next year. Our PPE's and ventilators should be in much better stock, and maybe, just maybe, and new anti-virus will be on the scene." 

I had this thought the other day, after listening to the Governor of New York whine (again), how flat footed New York was caught by this new virus. This is like an invisible Pearl Harbor Day. Many knew an attack from the Japanese was likely somewhere in the Pacific, and yet, we remained pleasantly optimistic. That is, until a good portion of our Pacific fleet was sunk or damaged on December 7th, 1941.

The rest is history. The "sleeping giant" was awakened, and our nation went into  unprecedented war footing. Not just with the numbers of young men called to arms, but the amount of national manufacturing which transformed into making war machines. Without that ability to transform our manufacturing, the war would have surly been lost to the Axis Powers.

Today, here comes the sneak attack by COVID - 19. After being through close calls from SARS in 2003, and MERS in 2012, we should have learned our lesson. These stone cold respiratory killers should have taught us, that these type of viruses were not yet done with mankind. They should have - but we did not our lesson. So we collectively tripped along life's journey, fat, dumb, and happy. Many to most of the PPE's and ventilators which were used up during SARS and MERS episodes, were not replaced by either the states nor the fed. So when COVID - 19 came alone earlier this year, many states (like New York), were no more than sitting ducks.

There will be lessons learned once this is over. And hopefully, some heads will roll. Why? There is simply NO EXCUSE for ANY state to be running low on PPE's right now, especially the N 95 masks. And ventilators? Don't get me started! Emergency ICU bed space? A MUST HAVE! Each state's health department will be (or should be) adamant on having ALL emergency supplies totally adequate for ANY emergency. The docs who work for the state or federal governments should be leading that fight. Right now, seeing some of the health care workers in NYC dressed in garbage bags, is worse than unacceptable.

But the docs worldwide are getting some "knock out punches" ready for this round of COVID - 19. They are looking at anything and everything on how to kill it, before it kills too many more of us. This stretches from antimalarial chloroquine, to using plasma taken from people who have had the disease and recovered from it. The plasma idea might have some merit. Why? Antibodies. Antibodies which we, who have never been exposed to this virus, do not yet have. Plus, just about every research lab in the civilized world, is looking for a new silver bullet in fighting this thing. 

In any event, if COVID - 19 is seasonal, like Dr. Fauci fears it might be, we will be much more prepared for it next year. Our PPE's and ventilators should be in much better stock, and maybe, just maybe, a new anti-virus vaccine or two will be on the scene. 

During the Gulf War, then General Powell said one of my favorite quotes. "I don't like a fair fight. I like to go into a fight with overwhelming odds." That is the way our nation's doctors feel. They hate fighting from behind. When or if COVID - 19 comes back, they want to fight it with overwhelming odds.