If this is worse than than any pandemic the government could have planned for - then they need to get out more.
Compared to eg a SARS like fatality rate with a month long symptomless incubation period.
Or a multi-strain resistant bacteria from factory chickens
Or an airborne nasty with this same fatality rate but the infectiousness of measles.
Never mind all the really interesting ones we have been deliberately engineering
This (unlike crucifixion) is a doddle