The President has officially declared a national emergency surrounding the H1N1 pandemic.
President Barack Obama signed the bill late Friday night. Officials say the move will help speed treatment to thousands with the virus. Hospitals are now given power to move emergency rooms off site and also allow alternative sites to be opened in order to accommodate infected patients.
Local officials say the White House did this as a precaution, and that no one should panic. "This is really an anticipatory move to prevent a problem. If you ever flooded, and knew you were going to flood another time, you would get sandbags before the flood and put them up before the flood came. That's the analogy that's up here, so we're gonna put up some sand bags," explains Dr. John Venglarcik with the Mahoning County Board of Health. Dr. Venglarcik also tells us that all local hospitals are currently well-equipped to handle the H1N1 virus.
