Hundreds Quarantined & On Lockdown! White House on High Alert! Conspiracies Fly!

By Lisa Haven

Something is happening right now in Russia that has the White House on high alert. In fact, the administration says it is keeping an eye on what is going on after reports emerged that nearly 200 people have been placed under medical observation or isolation and multiple hospitals have reportedly been put under quarantine following the death of a young woman who worked at an anti-plague laboratory. It almost feels like COVID-19 2.0, if you will, and I know a lot of people are understandably on edge when they hear stories like this. But is there really any reason to panic over this right now, or should we take it with a grain of salt, watch what happens, and definitely keep our eye on it?

According to reports, a suspected plague outbreak erupted in Russia after a young laboratory worker died, forcing nearly 200 people into isolation or observation and triggering accusations that Russian authorities may be attempting to keep the possible spread of the infection under wraps. The alarm was raised after a worker at an anti-plague laboratory reportedly died from the disease. Anna Popova, who heads Russia’s public health watchdog, reportedly traveled thousands of miles from Moscow to the affected region as authorities quarantined a hospital and placed scores of people who had come into contact with the victim under medical observation. And rightly so. If officials are worried about an outbreak, you have to start separating and monitoring people who may have been exposed so it doesn’t spread.

The good news, at least according to officials, is that none of the identified contacts have shown symptoms and their test results have reportedly come back negative. That is definitely encouraging, assuming the information we are being given is accurate. The first reported fatality was a 28-year-old laboratory assistant who worked at the anti-plague institute. She reportedly told medical staff that she had accidentally broken a test tube containing live bacteria while collecting samples for testing. She later became ill while on an expedition with other workers near Russia’s eastern border with Mongolia. Reports say she was hospitalized with symptoms of severe pneumonia, placed on a ventilator, and later died.

Meanwhile, regional officials declined to publicly identify the illness and instead began referring to it simply as a “dangerous infectious disease.” Public events in the region were also reportedly canceled. What makes this even more interesting is that some reports began using language describing the illness as pneumonia of unknown origin or unknown cause. That immediately caught my attention because we have heard very similar terminology before. Back on January 5, 2020, the World Health Organization published disease outbreak information regarding “pneumonia of unknown cause” after cases were detected in Wuhan, China. We all know what happened after that. Does that mean the same thing is happening now? Absolutely not. But considering what we have lived through, it is certainly something worth watching.

There is also more to this story because reports indicate that five hospitals were placed under quarantine following the woman’s death. Those reportedly included several city hospitals as well as a children’s hospital and maternity hospital. Around 197 people who may have crossed paths with the woman were identified, with approximately 189 hospitalized or placed under observation. According to reported figures, some were being monitored in separate medical facilities while others remained at the anti-plague institute itself.

Again, there is good news here. As of the latest official statements cited in these reports, no secondary cases have been confirmed. From what we know right now, no one else has been confirmed sick with the plague and nobody else has died from it. That is a very positive sign, assuming we are getting the full story. At this point, there is no reason to jump ahead of the facts and assume we are looking at some massive outbreak.

The White House is also watching what is happening. The State Department reportedly told NewsNation that the Trump administration is aware of reports of a fatal suspected case of pneumonic plague in Russia and is monitoring the situation closely with the CDC and other interagency partners. So clearly the United States government is paying attention, but monitoring a situation does not necessarily mean officials believe Americans are currently in danger. It means they are watching to see whether anything changes.

So what are the key facts about plague, and should Americans be worried? Plague is caused by bacteria, and people who become infected can develop symptoms within several days. Bubonic plague is the most common form, but the concern in this particular story has centered on possible pneumonic plague, which affects the lungs. Pneumonic plague can be extremely serious and, unlike bubonic plague, can potentially spread between people through respiratory particles. In some cases, the incubation period can be very short.

The good news is that antibiotics can be effective against plague bacteria. The major concern is getting treatment early. Untreated pneumonic plague can be fatal if it is not diagnosed and treated quickly, but recovery rates can be high when the disease is detected and treated in time. That is an extremely important part of this story because we are not talking about something for which doctors have absolutely no treatment options.

Right now, this is not happening in the United States, and based on the information currently available, I do not think this is something Americans need to be afraid of at this point. I do not want to jump the gun. We saw during COVID how quickly fear and panic could take over, and I think we should be very careful about doing that again. If additional people begin getting sick or confirmed secondary cases start appearing, that would obviously change the situation and we would need to pay close attention. But at this time, officials are saying the people being monitored are testing negative and showing no symptoms.

The difficult part for many people is trust. Governments have not always been completely transparent with the public, so naturally people are going to question whether they are being told everything. But based on what we currently know, I am not going to panic over this. I think the best thing we can do is watch it carefully and see where it goes.

Of course, the internet has already begun pointing out some very strange coincidences surrounding the timing of all of this. One of those involves a recently released song called “Patient Zero” that people online have connected to the timing of the reported illness. Others have been discussing a recently released book involving a fictional laboratory leak scenario reportedly connected to Russia. Could all of that simply be coincidence? Absolutely. But after everything people saw surrounding Event 201 before COVID, you can understand why the internet immediately starts digging whenever something like this happens.

Again, I do not think any of those coincidences are proof of anything, and I certainly do not think people should go crazy over them. They are simply things people online are talking about as this story develops. For now, I think the responsible thing to do is keep an eye on the confirmed cases, watch whether any secondary infections emerge, and pay attention to what both Russian officials and American officials say in the coming days.

And because apparently we needed one more thing to watch, there are also separate reports concerning suspected swine flu among pig farmers in China. With everything already happening with oil prices, food prices, and global instability, the last thing anyone wants is another issue that could potentially put additional pressure on the food supply. But just like the Russia situation, it is something to watch rather than something to immediately panic over.

Ultimately, you get to decide what you think about all of this. Right now, the most important fact is that officials say no secondary plague cases have been confirmed. That could change, and if it does, we will follow it closely. Until then, this is one of those stories where keeping your eyes open makes sense — but fear does not.