We can learn a lot about today’s pandemic by looking at the past.
In the 2009 flu pandemic, thousands upon thousands of people flooded hospitals.
For thousands of those people, that choice was a death sentence.
Why?
Because according to a shocking study by Consumer Reports, they found that 94% of U.S. hospitals are actually breeding grounds for antibiotic-resistant “superbugs”, which means that…
Unless you really need treatment, hospitals are the worst place to be in a pandemic outbreak.
According to the study, 75,000 people die every year from infections they didn’t develop before they went to the hospital… but actually during their hospital stay.
That’s more than the number of people who die each year in car crashes.
And in the case of a pandemic, you can expect those numbers to get far worse because people are more likely to get infections when they’re already sick.
You’ve probably experienced this yourself…
You catch a cold in the winter and the next thing you know, you’ve also caught the flu… or a stomach bug… or some other infection.
That’s because your immune system is already shot to hell and it’s easier for an infection to take hold.
And that’s just when you’re out and about in your neighborhood running errands.
Imagine if you deliberately went to the one place where every infected person goes just when their disease is at its worst?
That’s a hospital.
Here’s what you need to do first to survive the current pandemic outbreak…
Don’t jump the gun.
The first thing most people do is start to imagine they have the symptoms of the disease, and sometimes that’s enough for you to really experience them.
If you imagine you’re definitely going to get a headache, you often will.
Same goes for symptoms like coughs, sore throats, and nausea – all of which people can and will confuse with symptoms for COVID-19.
Don’t panic.
Drink lots of water, wash your hands regularly, and take other precautions to stay healthy.
Do not rush to the hospital at the first sign of one symptom.
It’s almost certainly not the pandemic illness, and rushing to the hospital could land you with exactly the disease you’re trying to avoid.
If your symptoms do appear serious, and you DO need to seek treatment, contact the authorities to find out the protocol for showing up to get help.
You don’t want to expose everyone between you and a hospital bed to the very illness we’re all trying to avoid.
Be a “germ warrior.”
Load up on disposable bleach wipes, hand sanitizer, face masks, rubber gloves, and eye protection if you can.
Avoid contact with the outside world and protect yourself when you have to venture out.
Feel like you look silly?
You’re going to be the one person in the neighborhood who doesn’t start coughing, so they can think whatever they want.
Put your mask and gloves on, do your grocery shopping, and go home.
Train in survival medicine.
I’m not going to tell you medical care is a sham – hospitals are the smart place to go when your life is truly in danger, because the risk is outweighed by the reward.
In a pandemic situation, though, the risk skyrockets, so you have to weigh the risk versus the reward.
The key is to know some survival medicine skills so you can self-treat your family at home instead of taking them down to the local germ jungle hospital where they really can get deathly ill.
The Reality Of A Pandemic Disease Outbreak…
Look, when the pandemic finally hits as hard as the CDC and the World Health Organization have been warning us it will, medical staff will be short-handed… doctors and nurses will contract diseases… and medical care may not be available for anyone except those who are literally dying on their feet.
In that scenario, you need to know how to care for your spouse, children, and loved ones in an emergency – because you won’t be able to access professional care for any amount of money.
The last thing you want is to feel helpless as you watch someone you love slip away.
It’s good to have some simple survival medicine skills – or even just keep a guide on hand “just in case” so you can refer to it and “be your own doctor” when something massive hits the U.S.
If your symptoms worsen, or if your loved ones get worse, you DO need to get them treated, so again, follow the protocols to get them to help safely.
Otherwise, avoid clogging up the emergency medical services that everyone has to rely on.
Be vigilant…
We’ve all got to be on our toes right now, but we’re going to get past this.
