In a recent drill conducted by health officials in New York, 73 healthcare facilities were tested for their ability to respond to a patient with a potential pandemic-level infection. The findings revealed significant shortcomings in pandemic preparedness, with only 60 percent of facilities passing the basic requirements of the test.

Drill Overview

The drill, which took place between January and June 2026, involved professional patient actors who simulated symptoms of an H5 bird flu infection. These actors, equipped with makeup and props to mimic illness, entered various healthcare facilities to assess the response protocols in place for handling potentially infectious patients.

Key Findings

  • Overall Performance: Only 44 out of 73 facilities successfully masked and isolated the actors, resulting in a failing grade for many.
  • Emergency Departments: Approximately 55 percent of emergency departments met the criteria, while 68 percent of outpatient clinics and 67 percent of urgent care centers passed.
  • Response Times: The median time to mask a patient was 2 minutes, and the median time to isolation was 11 minutes. However, many facilities failed to meet the ideal response times of one minute for masking and ten minutes for isolation.
  • Inadequate PPE Usage: Only 25 percent of clinicians wore all recommended personal protective equipment (PPE), while 6 percent wore none at all.