Immediately, work begins on a new vaccine, but still, the outbreak quickly spreads. The fatality rates rise and a vaccine is still not available. By January, people travel by plane, carrying the virus into cities like L.A or New York. At this point, only 10 percent of the vaccine needed has been produced. By February, hospitals, police, and mass transit all experience personnel shortages, hospitals are overwhelmed, and the public is outraged as the death toll rises.
Doctors often compare a flu pandemic to a hurricane.
We know one will someday hit, perhaps causing catastrophic damage, but there is difference. Local Emergency Rooms, like the one here at Baptist Medical Center, will suddenly be pushed to the limit in an effort to keep people alive. Goldhagen works each year with local hospitals to predict how bad the flu has impacted our area. While this year's flu has been especially mild, next year could be a different story. Nobody knows exactly what will happen, whether 1918 would be repeated all over again, but state health officials are well aware of the possibility and are planning for the worst-case scenario.