Dr. Parker argued we are going to have to find creative ways to address the potential lack of hospitalization capacity in the U.S. Two Naval vessels—the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy—have large, capable hospitals on board and could be used as potential centers of treatment. Each of these ships has a 1,000-bed capacity and are well-equipped to take in patients should hospitals become overwhelmed. There is also untapped capacity in other vessels, for example, cruise ships. “Maybe it’s time to look at transitioning some of those into hospital ships—it’s not that difficult to do,” says Dr. Parker.

Turning to security threats posed by the virus, Dr. Parker says that “the bio threat is a significant and sometimes cheap way to take down an otherwise superpower.” “We need to really look at this bio threat, not just from a medical care perspective, but also from a military perspective as we move forward.”

Dr. Parker received a doctorate in biological defense from George Mason University, a master's degree from Harvard's JFK School of Government and was formerly the Chief of War Plans at the Pentagon. His Ph.D. work focused on planning for a pandemic, combining the clinical area of epidemiology and the strategic planning skills needed when dealing with major events.

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