A scenario issued by the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology last week posited an epidemic that could produce symptoms in 60 million to 120 million people and cause as many as 90 million to seek medical attention; up to 1.8 million could be hospitalized, 300,000 could flood into crowded ICUs, and 30,000 to 90,000 people could die (a vaccine to prevent swine flu will not be ready until mid-October).

However, the virus has a low death rate and has not become more virulent, and the U.S. is better prepared than ever before, stockpiling medicines that should work against the swine flu virus.