#14,792
While it is too soon to know how big of an impact the novel Coronavirus emerging from China will have on the rest of the world, prospects for containing it are dwindling, and events could begin to escalate rapidly in the days and weeks ahead.
A dozen years ago, government agencies, organizations, and private companies were actively preparing pandemic plans based on a far less tangible avian flu threat.Many organizations selected a CPO; a Chief Pandemic Officer. Someone in their business, organization, or family - whose job it was to coordinate their pandemic plan (see Quick! Who's Your CPO?).
Following the relatively small impact of the 2009 H1N1 pandemic, many of those plans have been buried in a bottom drawer, and forgotten. The US government updated their pandemic plans in 2017 (see CDC/HHS Community Pandemic Mitigation Plan - 2017), but far less appears to have been done on the local level, or in the private sector.
Whether this novel coronavirus rises to the level of a pandemic is still debatable, but another pandemic will come (see WHO: On The Inevitability Of The Next Pandemic). And it will likely arrive with little warning (see WHO/World Bank GPMB Pandemic Report : `A World At Risk').
While China is shutting down cities, shuttering factories, and closing all public venues - these are drastic, short term solutions - and it is hard to see how that can be maintained for very long before it does more harm than good.It's neither practical or desirable to simply shut everything down at the first sneeze, and try to wait out what could be a year (or longer) pandemic. Very few are equipped to do so, and besides, someone has to keep the lights on, deliver the food, refine the fuel, police the streets, take care of the sick and injured . . . and do the thousands of other things that hold civilization together.
We'll have to find ways to live and work as safely as possible during a pandemic. Else the virus could quickly become the least of our problems.If you are an employer, you should know that OSHA considers it your responsibility to provide a safe workplace – even during a pandemic - and has produced specific guidance on preparing workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic along with Guidance for Protecting Employees Against Avian Flu.
Frankly, few businesses could survive a prolonged shutdown due to a pandemic. Which is why pandemic planning should be part of their overall business continuity and recovery plan. A couple of good resources worth checking out are The Business Continuity Daily and Cambridge Risk Perspectives, both of which provide daily reviews of current threats and advice on preparedness.
And if you follow only one link from this blog post, I’d highly recommend you view the following 20 minute video produced by Public Health - Seattle & King County - called Business Not As Usual , and peruse the extensive links on that page.
In last September's #NatlPrep: Personal Pandemic Preparedness, we looked at the things that individuals and families should do to prepare for a pandemic, as recommended by the CDC, FEMA.gov, and Ready.gov.
This advice from Ready.gov.
This advice from Ready.gov.
Pandemic
Before a Pandemic
- Store a two week supply of water and food.
- Periodically check your regular prescription drugs to ensure a continuous supply in your home.
- Have any nonprescription drugs and other health supplies on hand, including pain relievers, stomach remedies, cough and cold medicines, fluids with electrolytes, and vitamins.
- Get copies and maintain electronic versions of health records from doctors, hospitals, pharmacies and other sources and store them, for personal reference. Get help accessing electronic help records.
- Talk with family members and loved ones about how they would be cared for if they got sick, or what will be needed to care for them in your home.
Perhaps at the top of my list, and something we've discussed often (see Yes, We Have No Pandemic . . . But Line Up A Flu Buddy Anyway). is advice I first fleshed out the idea in a 2008 blog called Lifelines In A Pandemic.
A `Flu Buddy’ is simply someone you can call if you get sick, who will then check on you every day (by phone, social media, or in person), make sure you have the food and medicines you need (including fetching prescriptions if appropriate), help care for you if needed, and who can call for medical help if your condition deteriorates.
Those people who care for others, like single parents, also need to consider who will take care of their dependents if they are sick.
In 2017, the CDC released a 16-page Household Pandemic Planning guide, which emphasizes the use of NPIs - or Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions - during a pandemic.
The CDC’s Nonpharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) web page defines NPIs as:
Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are actions, apart from getting vaccinated and taking medicine, that people and communities can take to help slow the spread of illnesses like influenza (flu). NPIs are also known as community mitigation strategies.Measures like social distancing, hand hygiene, staying home when sick, avoiding crowds, wearing a mask if you are sick, even the closure of schools or other public venues are all potential NPIs.
Additionally, the CDC has prepared guidance for a number of other venues:
