This is kind of a tough discussion. I think that in general terms most of us understand that pandemics have plagued mankind (no pun intended) from the beginning of human civilization. It's been a century since the Western world has faced an epidemic with millions of deaths. Experts have long warned that a serious pandemic is probably inevitable, so it's not if but when. So is COVID19 that killer? Probably not. It doesn't seem to lethal enough to end human civilization.

However that doesn't mean it can't disrupt things badly. The US is far less prepared for a pandemic than many other countries for lots of complicated reasons.

I do think this will be a learning experience. It seems like every big panic/event has its own unique issues. Personally I was pretty surprised to see the run on TP; it makes no sense to me whatsoever. But when this whole thing runs its course I think we'll all have some adjustments to make in our emergency plans.