danbir1 Loc: North Potomac, MD

Thanks, Daryl, and of course we can only blame ourselves for consuming the stuff that the media feeds us relentlessly.

PGHphoto Loc: Pittsburgh, PA

TO address your points -

1) A standing group will still need to assemble experts in the current disease. So the recruitment will still take as long. This is the fact that partisan factions refuse to acknowledge. In fact, with most bureaucratic organizations, a standing organization PREVENTS rapid response due to a static manner in which changes or policy are implemented.

2) What is the consistency that the 'experts' (which you again do not define) have expressed ? Most every media identified epidemiologist 'experts' reported through the media state that they don't know specifics about the virus in terms of communicability, intensity or duration because the sample case counts are too small to provide accurate analytical data and the anecdotal evidence is unreliable due to the lack of history for the virus.

3) Not sure how you are linking this to a previous administration's actions. The testing process, procedure and materials are not created by any governmental agency in the US and were not under the previous administration.

4) Again, not clear on how this applies to your initial argument that the current administration has contributed to the problem by ending a unnamed organization. Obfuscation or lack of actual fact is not a proof of conclusion.

Daryls Loc: Waco, TX

htbrown.

1) Assembling a new team does take some time, but not necessarily as long as you may think. I say this because we did a lot of organizing under the Department of Homeland Security since 2001 and we continue to conduct planning, training, and exercising of those plans every year since. The new team the president organized is an executive-level team who coordinate the various preparedness and response activities of the federal government and the state health departments and private hospitals. Much of the structure has been in place since 2005.

2) Did you know that medical experts were all over the place - folks the CDC said different things and made different predictions and recommendations. It took the CDC some time to reign in these folks opinions and get them on the same page. It is an issue we in emergency management have to on work during every emergency and disaster situation - rumor control, especially from experts.

3) Yes, we have heard that about South Korea, but I have not seen any details regarding their response. Also understand that the population of South Korea is only 51 million. We have over 330 million. It is probably a matter of priorities (we are in a flu pandemic) and scale rather than our lack of ability or willpower.

4) Containment would be nice, IF it were possible. Did you know that we still cannot contain the common cold virus or the annual flu virus? How are we going to contain this virus unless the world stops the movement of humans from a small area where they currently reside? Know that the majority of COVID-19 infections in the USA came from people who travelled overseas, got infected, and then returned to the USA and spread it some here? Protecting the economy is just one aspect of the activities our government is responding to. There are a lot of interrelated and moving parts just in the USA. Even more interconnectedness with the rest of the world - think supply chains, monetary issues, politics, morality, religion, etc. We are not in this alone. Even China will come around as the Xi recognizes this the rest to his power base and that he cannot deal with it alone.

Daryls Loc: Waco, TX

Exactly danbir1. Unfortunately, our government schools are not teaching critical thinking skills to our children. So they cannot tell the difference between propaganda and fact. It is something I pushed on my University of Phoenix Online students when I was teaching management courses. The same thing with my emergency management courses I teach for FEMA and various state emergency management / homeland security departments. It is a never ending battle, but worthwhile fighting.

Daryl

traderjohn Loc: New York City

"is way behind the curve in the response effort" ...In what way??? The "chance to develop" will take more than a year.

danbir1 Loc: North Potomac, MD

We need more teachers like you Daryl!
Dan

CA_CanonUser Loc: Friendswood, TX

Anyone who quotes a percent death rate is simply grasping at air. We know the numerator of that fraction, but we have no earthly idea what the denominator is -- and will not until we have tested a large percentage of the population for possible infection.

Daryls Loc: Waco, TX

Thanks Dan. I really appreciate it.

Daryl

Daryls Loc: Waco, TX

Not only that, but also all the folks who were infected and have recovered already. Otherwise, we only have the current rate based upon those who have been tested and not the total historical numbers.

Daryl

Ioannis

I’m sorry but this is a photo forum and not a daily news section, don’t you guys think we’re penetrated enough with news from TV and social media?

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

The Obama admin set up the system where all lab tests had to flow through the FDA, causing much of the initial delay in getting testing up to speed. Trump in his wisdom rescinded that order, and finally testing will be getting to where it should be.

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

For some unclear reason, the CDC chose to develop their own test rather than using existing tests. And the CDC's test, turned out to be flawed.

That, combined with the in-place regulation that all testing flow through the FDA (meaning private labs could not develop and conduct testing), significantly delayed testing availability in the U.S.

danbir1 Loc: North Potomac, MD

This is a General Chit-Chat (non-photography talk)

paulrph1 Loc: Washington, Utah

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

Well, so much for "apolitical", but not unusual after four pages of comments.