Will virus follow pattern of 1918 Spanish Flu?
Share
Tweet
To The Eagle:
A friend of mine sent me a graph from a 1920’s publication showing the mortality rate of the 1918 Spanish flu. The graph shows that the 1918 pandemic lasted about 13-months and occurred in three waves. The first wave on the graph is represented by a small rise in mortality that lasted from June to September 1918, followed by a second wave, 300 percent more deadly than the first, that lasted from October 1918 through January 1919. The third and final wave lasted from February to July 1919 and was 200 percent more deadly than the first wave. In total the 1918 pandemic killed an estimated 17 to 100-million people world-wide.
As of May 2020, the U.S. is still in the middle of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, with over 90 thousand Americans who have lost their lives from the virus. If history is any indicator of what lies ahead, our country may be in for a lot more sickness and death this coming autumn and winter if we let our guard down, and if we are not prepared.
It’s up to each of us to wear face masks, wash our hands frequently and maintain appropriate social distancing until we have effective therapies or a vaccine.
Frederick Lehr
Grays River
Reader Comments(1)
Michael writes:
Good points. History does repeat itself. Mr Trump says we will not close down the economy again no matter what happens. He does not have to be right. He just needs to have no major resurgence before the November Elections. He is a gambler and that is what he is wagering on. My family genealogical research indicates that my maternal grandmother was most likely a victim of that third wave. The listed cause of death was pneumonia, but the dates fit with the Spanish Flu dates.
05/22/2020, 1 pm