Originally Posted by
OldnGrounded
I wonder how many mechanical ventilators are available per 100K population. I couldn't find a number for China in a quick search but the median for the US, per a National Institutes of Health study about a decade ago, was under 20.
That is perhaps the least of our worries if the virus is not arrested.
There is no large scale domestic production capacity for even basics such as face masks or medications, much less a surge potential or a national stockpile. Most of that supply is now sourced from lower cost areas such as China or India.
So the US and Europe would be no better off than China in terms of dealing with this outbreak if it continues to build. Thus far, we have the reported number of victims still rising on a weekly doubling pace outside of China. That is very troubling.
At this rate, we are headed for a very different and less well connected world.