There is a common view of the CDC (that most of us have formed from their portrayal in hollywood) that they are on top of outbreaks and ready to respond at a moment's notice. We've all seen the shows and movies where the CDC sweeps in with hazmat suits and teams of people putting up quarantine tents and taking over hospitals and ensuring the public's safety from deadly viruses. They are portrayed as responding rapidly with the kind of resources you'd expect from well-funded federal disease control.
Folks, this is a fantasy. I manage a medical practice in north Texas and am well acquainted with folks who were on the front lines of the Ebola situation when it hit Dallas Parkland Hospital.
It would be inappropriate to give too much detail about the person from whom I heard this story, but they worked at the top level of a major department at Parkland when the Ebola thing went down. This person is a long-time family friend, a physician, and a life-long democrat/liberal. I am omitting and/or changing some details to keep them, personally, out of this. This isn't about them, it's about the myths of the CDC. I know that makes this harder to verify on your end. The point of this story is not to cause drama or panic, but rather to inform you about some of the myths of the CDC so that, in the coming days, as the incompetence of the CDC comes to light you understand that this state of affairs existed YEARS before GEOTUS took office.
Myth 1: The CDC is a top-tier federal agency, staffed by qualified professionals, and has contingency plans worked out that it is waiting, willing, and able to put into motion at a moment's notice.
Reality: I want you to think about your state's health department. Now image a state health department only staffed by federal employees. The people running it are political appointees and bureaucrats. The employees themselves are federal union types who don't really have to worry about productivity or getting fired. Most of the time the people at the CDC have very little to do, even less than your state's health department. This situation does not create a pool of rested professionals ready to spring into action. It creates a pool of people who go through the motions daily, never expect to have to do anything, and are completely unprepared when called upon to act.
My contact at Parkland was involved in dealing with tissue samples (blood, I think) that needed to be tested for ebola. Some of the samples were definitely contaminated, some were not. Parkland hospital did not have the materials to test for ebola; they needed to send these samples elsewhere. Given the nature of the virus and the risk of epidemic, Parkland wanted to be sure they were handling and transporting these sample properly. They called the "experts" at the CDC for guidance on how to transport these samples, safely, to an outside lab.
The CDC official they spoke to was a "kid" (as described by my contact). This person (kid probably equals under 40) had no idea how to proceed. There were no procedures in a binder waiting to be broken out. The CDC official didn't pass them on to someone more qualified (either because there was no such person, or this person was entirely incompetent). In fact, the CDC official suggested they just "FEDEX" the samples to the outside lab.
Anyone with any experience in handling infectious waste just recoiled in horror. Can you imagine the kind of idiot that would suggest transporting EBOLA CONTAMINATED BLOOD in the same truck as dozens of people's personal packages? This kind of person has no business working at the CDC, much less being the point of contact for a hospital treating a deadly outbreak.
Obviously, Parkland declined to use this advice and ended up having to figure out something on their own. Fortunately that hospital employs some professionals who knew better and were able to solve this problem.
Myth 2: The CDC has teams of responders, fleets of trucks, and warehouses full of hazmat gear just waiting for a crisis that requires their intervention.
Reality: Yeah, except it doesn't. That gear all has a shelf life. Those responders would draw salaries that wouldn't be needed 99% of the time. There are no fleets of trucks. The CDC is a federal agency and not well-funded one. They aren't part of the War on Terror. They aren't part of the War on Drugs. They aren't part of the Welfare system. They don't have the budget to keep stockpiles ready to go or teams of people trained to do anything but investigate climate change or whatever other political pet project someone cooks up. The money they DO have is spent in typical federal agency fashion: wastefully.
When ebola came to Dallas, there were no fleets of CDC trucks sent. No shipments of hazmat gear. No helicopters, no response teams. The folks at Parkland were on their own and suddenly responsible for not just their own safety, but the safety of the city, the state, and maybe the country. Normal hospital operations and procedures are not made to prevent the spread of something like Ebola. Parkland didn't have rooms of hazmat gear either. That's why a nurse was able to walk out with ebola contaminated blood on her shoe. Fortunately that didn't result in a serious problem, but it was dumb luck that it didn't.
The people who did have warehouses full of protective gear were the companies that make (and sell) that gear. This is not a volume business. Anyone who runs a company that makes physical stuff will understand that sitting on a ton of perishable inventory is not something a company is willing to do.
The problem is, there was suddenly a MASSIVE demand for this gear. Not just from Parkland. Not just from Dallas area hospitals. But from everyone. The ebola thing made National News. Every hospital in the country was suddenly trying to buy a limited supply of gear, just in case they needed it. There was not enough to go around and no way to make more quickly enough to meet demand.
Parkland, the only hospital with a confirmed case, had an extremely difficult time trying to get the right gear to prevent unintentional transmission. They could not purchase enough gear because there was simply no more gear to be purchased.
And the CDC? They had nothing to provide. The CDC could not even provide protective equipment to a single hospital much less teams of responders.
We are VERY fortunate that ebola is transmitted through infected blood. This made it much easier to contain than something airborne like corona virus or influenza.
This is also an important point about controlling panic. GEOTUS is being criticized for downplaying the danger of Corona Virus. This is because the PANIC is much more dangerous (in the immediate sense) than the virus. A panic causes people to rush out and buy up supplies of vital items. Protective gear, food, water, medicine, gas, etc. That massive demand for limited supplies doesn't just screw over regular people. It makes it IMPOSSIBLE for the medical professionals to get the gear they need; even if they have an immediate need for that gear! A limited supply of gear in just the right place might be enough to prevent a massive outbreak. A limited supply of gear spread too thinly will leave opportunities for unintentional transmission and could lead to a wider outbreak. Not enough gear can be just as dangerous as none at all.
tl;dr: The CDC is a joke. It has been a joke for years. Do not buy into their Hollywood-created image. Use your brains. The CDC's incompetence WILL come to light and the left WILL try to blame GEOTUS. Do not fall for it.
EDIT: I meant to stress this again, but just in case this information worries you, relax. Don't panic. The point was not that we're all teetering on the edge of a bad 90's film staring Dustin Hoffman =D. The CDC isn't any worse now than it was when we were visited by Ebola. We're going to be fine whether people know the CDC is incompetent or not.
There is a common view of the CDC (that most of us have formed from their portrayal in hollywood) that they are on top of outbreaks and ready to respond at a moment's notice. We've all seen the shows and movies where the CDC sweeps in with hazmat suits and teams of people putting up quarantine tents and taking over hospitals and ensuring the public's safety from deadly viruses. They are portrayed as responding rapidly with the kind of resources you'd expect from well-funded federal disease control.
Folks, this is a fantasy. I manage a medical practice in north Texas and am well acquainted with folks who were on the front lines of the Ebola situation when it hit Dallas Parkland Hospital.
It would be inappropriate to give too much detail about the person from whom I heard this story, but they worked at the top level of a major department at Parkland when the Ebola thing went down. This person is a long-time family friend, a physician, and a life-long democrat/liberal. I am omitting and/or changing some details to keep them, personally, out of this. This isn't about them, it's about the myths of the CDC. I know that makes this harder to verify on your end. The point of this story is not to cause drama or panic, but rather to inform you about some of the myths of the CDC so that, in the coming days, as the incompetence of the CDC comes to light you understand that this state of affairs existed YEARS before GEOTUS took office.
**Myth 1:** The CDC is a top-tier federal agency, staffed by qualified professionals, and has contingency plans worked out that it is waiting, willing, and able to put into motion at a moment's notice.
**Reality:** I want you to think about your state's health department. Now image a state health department only staffed by federal employees. The people running it are political appointees and bureaucrats. The employees themselves are federal union types who don't really have to worry about productivity or getting fired. Most of the time the people at the CDC have very little to do, even less than your state's health department. This situation does not create a pool of rested professionals ready to spring into action. It creates a pool of people who go through the motions daily, never expect to have to do anything, and are completely unprepared when called upon to act.
My contact at Parkland was involved in dealing with tissue samples (blood, I think) that needed to be tested for ebola. Some of the samples were definitely contaminated, some were not. Parkland hospital did not have the materials to test for ebola; they needed to send these samples elsewhere. Given the nature of the virus and the risk of epidemic, Parkland wanted to be sure they were handling and transporting these sample properly. They called the "experts" at the CDC for guidance on how to transport these samples, safely, to an outside lab.
The CDC official they spoke to was a "kid" (as described by my contact). This person (kid probably equals under 40) had no idea how to proceed. There were no procedures in a binder waiting to be broken out. The CDC official didn't pass them on to someone more qualified (either because there was no such person, or this person was entirely incompetent). In fact, the CDC official suggested they just "FEDEX" the samples to the outside lab.
Anyone with any experience in handling infectious waste just recoiled in horror. Can you imagine the kind of idiot that would suggest transporting EBOLA CONTAMINATED BLOOD in the same truck as dozens of people's personal packages? This kind of person has no business working at the CDC, much less being the point of contact for a hospital treating a deadly outbreak.
Obviously, Parkland declined to use this advice and ended up having to figure out something on their own. Fortunately that hospital employs some professionals who knew better and were able to solve this problem.
**Myth 2:** The CDC has teams of responders, fleets of trucks, and warehouses full of hazmat gear just waiting for a crisis that requires their intervention.
**Reality:** Yeah, except it doesn't. That gear all has a shelf life. Those responders would draw salaries that wouldn't be needed 99% of the time. There are no fleets of trucks. The CDC is a federal agency and not well-funded one. They aren't part of the War on Terror. They aren't part of the War on Drugs. They aren't part of the Welfare system. They don't have the budget to keep stockpiles ready to go or teams of people trained to do anything but investigate climate change or whatever other political pet project someone cooks up. The money they DO have is spent in typical federal agency fashion: wastefully.
When ebola came to Dallas, there were no fleets of CDC trucks sent. No shipments of hazmat gear. No helicopters, no response teams. The folks at Parkland were on their own and suddenly responsible for not just their own safety, but the safety of the city, the state, and maybe the country. Normal hospital operations and procedures are not made to prevent the spread of something like Ebola. Parkland didn't have rooms of hazmat gear either. That's why a nurse was able to walk out with ebola contaminated blood *on her shoe*. Fortunately that didn't result in a serious problem, but it was dumb luck that it didn't.
The people who *did* have warehouses full of protective gear were the companies that make (and sell) that gear. This is not a volume business. Anyone who runs a company that makes physical stuff will understand that sitting on a ton of perishable inventory is not something a company is willing to do.
The problem is, there was suddenly a MASSIVE demand for this gear. Not just from Parkland. Not just from Dallas area hospitals. But from everyone. The ebola thing made *National News*. Every hospital in the country was suddenly trying to buy a limited supply of gear, just in case they needed it. There was not enough to go around and no way to make more quickly enough to meet demand.
Parkland, the only hospital with a confirmed case, had an extremely difficult time trying to get the right gear to prevent unintentional transmission. They could not purchase enough gear because there was simply no more gear to be purchased.
And the CDC? They had nothing to provide. The CDC could not even provide protective equipment to a single hospital much less teams of responders.
We are *VERY* fortunate that ebola is transmitted through infected blood. This made it much easier to contain than something airborne like corona virus or influenza.
This is also an important point about controlling panic. GEOTUS is being criticized for downplaying the danger of Corona Virus. This is because the PANIC is much more dangerous (in the immediate sense) than the virus. A panic causes people to rush out and buy up supplies of vital items. Protective gear, food, water, medicine, gas, etc. That massive demand for limited supplies doesn't just screw over regular people. It makes it IMPOSSIBLE for the medical professionals to get the gear they need; even if they have an immediate need for that gear! A limited supply of gear in just the right place might be enough to prevent a massive outbreak. A limited supply of gear spread too thinly will leave opportunities for unintentional transmission and could lead to a wider outbreak. Not enough gear can be just as dangerous as none at all.
**tl;dr:** The CDC is a joke. It has been a joke for years. Do not buy into their Hollywood-created image. Use your brains. The CDC's incompetence WILL come to light and the left WILL try to blame GEOTUS. Do not fall for it.
EDIT: I meant to stress this again, but just in case this information worries you, relax. Don't panic. The point was not that we're all teetering on the edge of a bad 90's film staring Dustin Hoffman =D. The CDC isn't any worse now than it was when we were visited by Ebola. We're going to be fine whether people know the CDC is incompetent or not.
Very informative, thank you for the insight and info!
Thank you for this. It was very informative.
As somebody who worked in health, what do you think of this? Is this being overblown to try and crash the economy? People seem to think we have a bunch of cases but haven't identified them because we haven't tested yet...well if that was the case, wouldnt we have had a death by now from this?
I'm not an expert on epidemiology, so if there is an MD with better info, please speak up.
In my opinion (worth what you paid for it), I think the concern is a bit overblown. The disease itself isn't really the issue. As diseases go it's not especially deadly. Influenza kills more each year than this virus has killed. I think the true danger the virus poses comes from the strain it puts on local resources.
If you have a few people who are sick, local medical resources are generally more than enough to deal with it. As the infection spreads, more resources are required, each person getting less and less individual focus. In the US, we have an incredible wealth of resources available. It would take a LOT of people to strain what we've got. Add to that the fact that our economy is a (mostly) free economy that can respond to immediate need and you've got a recipe for pretty solid resilience to an outbreak.
The deathtoll in China (whether you go by official figures or the less official figures) is likely inflated by the strain all the infections have placed on their healthcare system. It is a top-down planned economy with rationed care. Their system cannot react effectively to massive demand. Their market cannot make and ship more drugs; even simple things like tylenol or motrin for fever control. Most of their people are really rather poor and they have different standards of hygiene. People are dying from lack of resources who would have survived the infection had they had even the simple stuff like enough food, enough rest, and some basic pharmaceuticals.
I don't think the disease itself is really all that scary. Not any more so than the Flu. People get the flu here all the time. Most people, healthy people, are fine. They stay in bed, they eat and drink plenty of food and fluids, they take fever and pain reducers and cough suppressants and maybe even have access to medications like Theraflu or flu vaccines. Some people die. The already ill. The elderly. The very young. The very poor.
Socialized countries with rationed care are going to have a very hard time combating the disease and people are going to die who probably wouldn't otherwise. Europe will likely see some extra deaths, but it won't be anything like China. We aren't likely to see significant problems here in the US. Not anywhere near the fear-mongering about millions dying or something crazy like that.
The biggest danger we face in THIS country, is panic. Most people don't realize how little stock is actually in their local store. If everyone in the area suddenly starts hording food, a lot of people could starve for no good reason. Or there will be price gouging. Or fighting over the limited resources. In my city, some dingle-berry on the radio, about a year ago, said a hurricane was going to shut down the transport of gasoline tankers from the ports. That day, cars were lined up around the block fighting over the last drops of gasoline. No station in my area had a drop by lunch saturday. People waited hours, fought, paid through the nose. Hurricane came and went. Come Monday, those tankers were refilling the stations and there was plenty of gas and no cars trying to fill up. By Wednesday the price of gas had dropped $0.30 and I was laughing while filing my tank.
Use good hygiene. Wash your hands. Don't hang out near sick people. Stay calm. We'll be fine, for the most part. We need to take care of our elderly, sick, young, and poor. But that's pretty much always the case.
Most who work for the governments are failures.
As Mr. Trump, the great genius was able to in only a few months create a wonderful ice rink in NYC that the government workers had not been able to do for more than a decade.
.
Also, these government labs, they have their test tubes and white coats and except for providing filler material for the news on weekends with a meaningless story they hardly ever do anything.
An example:
In Canada, the lab at Winnipeg was given Coronovirus a decade ago by the Swedes, or someone foreign. Did they do anything? All that time, nothing? No cure?
Only times that lab made the news was when Chinese spies were arrested there.
.
The West is getting a lesson, not that the "elites" will learn.
Making your entire country dependent on communist China is stupid.
I have no way of confirming your story, but my dad was a state health officer, and about 60 years ago was offered the job of heading the CDC. (Shows my age)
At that time it was mostly a lab and a compiler of statistics. In the mid 1950s through the 70s, public health was so successful that it successed itself out of a job. Contageous diseases were considered conquered, and health departments got sucked into welfare departments. Doctors were replaced by welfare bureaucrats.
My dad retired during this switchover, and I kind of lost touch with the whole business. I know he spent his retirement lobbying for a reversal of this, and partly succeeded.