The democrats 100% want this to be as bad as possible. That's why Pelosi delayed the stimulus bill. That's why they complained when Trump implemented the travel ban that objectively saved likely MILLIONS of Americans.
This DID happen during Obama - it was H1N1. Took Obama and Biden 6 months to take it seriously. 60+ million americans got it and tens of thousands died. They also used up all the stockpiles of masks and never replaced them.