5 ms·
It's interesting to compare the Spanish Flu pandemic timeline from Wikipedia with this pandemic: 2.1 Timeline 2.1.1 First wave of early 1918 2.1.2 Deadly sec
by tdfx 5y ago
It's interesting to compare the Spanish Flu pandemic timeline from Wikipedia with this pandemic:
2.1 Timeline
2.1.1 First wave of early 1918
2.1.2 Deadly second wave of late 1918
2.1.3 Third wave of 1919
2.1.4 Fourth wave of 1920
Though COVID-19 appears to be substantially less lethal than the Spanish Flu [0], the overall trajectory of the pandemic has not deviated much from the historical one, even in countries with high vaccination rates.
It's seeming increasingly possible that many lockdowns were ill-advised and will have very poor "health outcome" returns on the astronomical economic costs they imposed. Except in areas where the hospital system was actually under threat of collapse, it appears lockdowns are really all pain and no gain.
[0] https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210329.51293/full/#:~:text=The%20675%2C000%20deaths%20attributed%20to,two%20in%20every%20thousand%20people https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/hblog20210329.51293....
- AndrewBissell 5y agoThe deadly second wave of the Spanish flu is attributed to the perverse effect on viral spread of World War I. Mildly ill soldiers stayed put in the trenches, while those with a more serious strain were put on trains and sent to crowded field hospitals, which preferentially selected for the more lethal form of the virus. So far I wouldn't say we have a parallel situation with Covid, although if the vaccines just suppress symptoms while allowing the virus to breed and spread, it could have some bad effects.
- bingohbangoh 5y agodid we impose a total lockdown where the military prevented people from leaving their homes? I feel like that's a big difference but maybe I'm overreacting.
- tdfx 5y agoAdding the military makes it extra draconian-sounding, but even what Canada is done with their police is pretty alarming [0]. I have a feeling that in 20 years or so, history will not be kind to the politicians that put these policies in place. [0] https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-gives-police-authority-to-stop-people-vehicles-ask-purpose-of-travel-1.5390805 https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-gives-police-authority-to...