Why are you wording this like you're suspicious? Disaster preparedness is not some big conspiracy. Just because America is doing a shit job at this doesn't mean other countries are out to get them.

It's just that COVID-19 is the third coronavirus to cause an epidemic this century - after SARS and MERS.

If you drop the "coronavirus" requirement, at least fourth - there was also the 2009 Swine Flu pandemic.

I believe the 2009 swine flu is responsible for this times weak response. I remember last time a lot of fear was stoked up in the media and a huge amount of tamiflu bought by the government, and almost nothing happened in the end, apart from public scepticism and unhappiness about the squandering of funds. I think politics didnt want to repeat the mistake

yea i guess i meant other than pandemics.