I didn't watch the Oprah show (but my sister did, and just freaked). IMO, it is just a matter of time before it ends up here in the US, but to what extend and how widespread, etc., I have no idea. However, I had already thought about things that I would start stockpiling as the time grows near.
Certain services, or actually, lack thereof, do worry me. Of course, for me...BF is a firefighter, and I work in LE. Those first responders are always on the forefront of getting everything there is to get! Same with the medical staffs. So, take the fire department. Yep, you can vaccinate them for the flu, but if things are supposed to be quarantined, etc. - who's going to perform those fire services, and allllllll the medical emergencies that they respond to? And like some are predicting - hospitals won't be much help because they'll be overwhelmed already. So what do you do with those needing immediate care and/or long-term care. And same with LE. I haven't heard our agency talking about contingency plans yet - I'm sure the "powers that be" may (SHOULD) be working on it, but I just haven't heard anything yet. I'm certainly interested to know what may take place.
And water, sewer, other utilty workers and services. And then schools (homeschooling anyone?). It goes on and on. I'm not freaking or panicking, but when you start thinking about it, it could indeed be catastrophic to businesses and the economy.