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Some doctors admit hospitals were unprepared and lax in preparations for an epidemic

America has faced coronavirus outbreaks before. Here's why COVID-19 has many people scared

(abc GMA March 24)

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/america-faced-coronavirus-outbreaks-heres-why-covid-19-121028904–abc-news-topstories.html

excerpt:

Dr. Robert Amler, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Practice at New York Medical College and former chief medical officer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for over 20 years, remembers the concerns Americans experienced during the SARS outbreak.

At the time, hospitals and healthcare facilities implemented strict infection control measures with increased intensity, he recalled, and medical professionals became more attentive to conducting tests and wearing proper protective gear. Amler believes these early amplified efforts to contain SARS and later MERS set a precedent for how viral infections would later be controlled.

Despite previous success in curbing the spread of other viruses such as the 2009 H1N1 pandemic and more recently, the 2014 Ebola epidemic, health officials say the alarm COVID-19 has generated within the United States is unprecedented.

Empty shelves and depleted food supplies have become hallmarks of the outbreak as fear continues to grip many communities amid increased restrictions and travel bans. U.S. cases continue to rise as medical workers report ventilator shortages, limited test kits and inadequate supplies for treating patients.

“We were unprepared,” Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth, Massachusetts, said of the healthcare sector. “I don’t necessarily think that we have the baseline of personal protective equipment necessary to handle the surge of cases we’re seeing now. While hospitals and academic centers are in better positions, outpatient offices and clinics are unequipped on how to handle this.”

[anon opin] On the state and hospital administration some questions should be asked and investigated:

Was additional/refresher training provided or recommended for healthcare providers?

Were medical supply inventories checked and orders placed? (mask and ventilator manufactures have stated no)

Were containment and isolation plans prepared and reviewed?

Were mandatory reporting forms prepared?(WA DOH did not have a Covid-19 form till March)

Were additional public awareness campaigns for flu season and common sense conducted? (evidently not as influenza peaked at over 10000/week in early February)

Did states question Congress on why CDC funding for immunization and public health response was reduced $660 million after a 3 month delay?

How soon did state health departments begin requesting additional funding to cover expenses of the above items?

Why did so many of these items wait until March for action?

What documentation do the states have to show they addressed items as many things may not get posted on a webpage or news brief?