'I'm scared': Johns Hopkins expert says coronavirus is totally unprecedented

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

With diagnosed COVID-19 cases passing 1 million worldwide and communities around the globe on lockdown, the coronavirus pandemic has claimed a place as one of the most serious public health crises in living memory, an emergency that pandemic expert Eric Toner says is "unlike anything we've seen before." Toner, of Johns Hopkins University, sat down with CNET's Claire Reilly to shed light on the scale of what the world is facing.

When unusual cases of pneumonia started appearing in Wuhan, China, at the end of 2019, medical experts didn't know what they were seeing. The virus appeared similar to SARS or bird flu, but it was a totally new strain. And it was spreading quickly.

Three months later, the coronavirus has brought the world to its knees, shutting down entire countries and causing an exponential spike in disease and death. The race is on to find a vaccine, but experts say we won't see one for at least 18 months.

Toner, a senior scientist at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, has more than three decades of experience in hospital disaster planning and pandemic preparedness. He's worked with governments and public health officials during many epidemics and disasters, and he says the coronavirus is unique.

"It started to become obvious that this was something that was unprecedented in our lifetimes," Toner says. "Obviously, China was surprised; no one knew this virus existed. Italy was surprised; they didn't see it coming. We in the US can't claim to be surprised; we have seen this coming for months now."

https://www.cnet.com/news/johns-hopkins-pandemic-expert-says-coronavirus-covid-19-is-totally-unprecedented/?ftag=CAD-04-10abi6g&bhid=24447454298893839703959737945916&mid=12774435

[SheltieLover]

1. K&R

Wonder if doc knows about this:

[link:https://www.propublica.org/article/taxpayers-paid-millions-to-design-a-low-cost-ventilator-for-a-pandemic-instead-the-company-is-selling-versions-of-it-overseas-|

[blueinredohio]

2. This whole fucking presidency has been unprecedented.

[Celerity]

3. and I fear we need to brace ourselves....

[Initech]

6. Competent leadership would have contained and stopped it before it became a problem.

Instead, we have the most incompetent, lazy jackass to ever call himself president at the helm, who golfed, rallied, and called it a hoax, now it's a problem that is spiraling out of control.

[NCjack]

4. The Great Decimation of the American People by the Republican Party. nt

[bdamomma]

5. we need to

decimate the party of trump PERIOD

[Initech]

7. I hope this buries Fox News once and for all.

They need to pay for what they have done to the world with this.

[smirkymonkey]

8. K&R