Would that surge capacity be equipped to care for avian flu patients?
Acute Care Centers (ACC) can potentially care for some flu patients; however those needing ventilation or other mechanical treatments would need to be treated at a hospitals. While efforts are underway here and in all counties to plan for hospital surge capacity, in a scenario involving a highly infectious agent that has a high attack rate and causes serious symptoms and death in a high percent of those infected, hospitals and existing surge capacity will be overcome.
