Could Stu have prevented the Captain Trips plague?

In Chapter 1 of The Stand, Stu Redman and his friends are shooting the shit at Hapscomb's Texaco when Stu spots an old, out-of-control Chevy headed for the pumps. Stu takes the initiative to turn off the pumps before the Chevy hits them, thus preventing an explosion. The Chevy, of course, is the one driven by Campion and carrying Campion's deceased wife and daughter. At this point, Campion and family are the only carriers of Captain Trips (outside of Project Blue), which they then spread to Hap, Vic, Stu, the ambulance drivers, etc., and thus to the rest of the world.

If Stu hadn't turned off the pumps, the resulting explosion and fire would've have eradicated the Captain Trips virus right then and there. Can we conclude that had Stu failed to act, the plague would have been avoided along with the deaths of hundreds of millions of people?