Covid-19 death toll equals and will likely exceed the 1918-1919 flu pandemic
Today, 08:42 AM
In an early thread concerning the Covid-19 pandemic I proposed the possibility that Covid-19 may hang around for years and possibly may become endemic to the human population like some other viruses. The problem appears that COVID-19 may not have as much a seasonal nature as other viruses. Fortunately the vvaccines are very effects. Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic still rages among the unvaccinated' particularly in the Southern states.
During the 1918-19 flu pandemic masks and social distancing were found to reduce impact of the pandemic. Philadelphia refused to stop a parade despite warnings from medical officials, and in the flu raged there with high fatalities more than some other cities.
Source: Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic
Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic
More than 1,900 people are dying in the US daily on average – the highest level since early March
Soldiers at Camp Funston in Kansas recover from the influenza pandemic in 1918. Photograph: Us Army/ReutersAssociated PressMon 20 Sep 2021 22.11 EDT Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic – more than 675,000.
The US population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the Covid-19 crisis is by any measure a colossal tragedy in its own right, especially given the incredible advances in scientific knowledge since then and the failure to take maximum advantage of the vaccines available this time.
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“Big pockets of American society – and, worse, their leaders – have thrown this away,” said Dr Howard Markel a medical historian at the University of Michigan.
Like the 1918-19 flu, the coronavirus may never entirely disappear from our midst. Instead, scientists hope it becomes a mild seasonal bug as human immunity strengthens through vaccination and repeated infection. That could take time. Everett/REX/Shutterstock
“We hope it will be like getting a cold, but there’s no guarantee,” said Rustom Antia, a biologist at Emory University, who suggests an optimistic scenario in which this could happen over a few years.
For now, the pandemic still has the United States and other parts of the world firmly in its jaws.
While the Delta variant-fueled surge in infections may have peaked, US deaths are more than 1,900 a day on average – the highest level since early March – and the country’s overall toll topped 675,000 Monday, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University, though the real number is believed to be higher.
Winter may bring a new surge, with the University of Washington’s influential model projecting an additional 100,000 or so Americans will die of Covid-19 by 1 January, which would bring the overall US toll to 776,000.
Today, 08:42 AM
In an early thread concerning the Covid-19 pandemic I proposed the possibility that Covid-19 may hang around for years and possibly may become endemic to the human population like some other viruses. The problem appears that COVID-19 may not have as much a seasonal nature as other viruses. Fortunately the vvaccines are very effects. Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic still rages among the unvaccinated' particularly in the Southern states.
During the 1918-19 flu pandemic masks and social distancing were found to reduce impact of the pandemic. Philadelphia refused to stop a parade despite warnings from medical officials, and in the flu raged there with high fatalities more than some other cities.
Source: Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic
Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic
More than 1,900 people are dying in the US daily on average – the highest level since early March
Soldiers at Camp Funston in Kansas recover from the influenza pandemic in 1918. Photograph: Us Army/ReutersAssociated PressMon 20 Sep 2021 22.11 EDT Covid-19 has now killed as many Americans as the 1918-19 flu pandemic – more than 675,000.
The US population a century ago was just one-third of what it is today, meaning the flu cut a much bigger, more lethal swath through the country. But the Covid-19 crisis is by any measure a colossal tragedy in its own right, especially given the incredible advances in scientific knowledge since then and the failure to take maximum advantage of the vaccines available this time.
Read more
“Big pockets of American society – and, worse, their leaders – have thrown this away,” said Dr Howard Markel a medical historian at the University of Michigan.
Like the 1918-19 flu, the coronavirus may never entirely disappear from our midst. Instead, scientists hope it becomes a mild seasonal bug as human immunity strengthens through vaccination and repeated infection. That could take time. Everett/REX/Shutterstock
“We hope it will be like getting a cold, but there’s no guarantee,” said Rustom Antia, a biologist at Emory University, who suggests an optimistic scenario in which this could happen over a few years.
For now, the pandemic still has the United States and other parts of the world firmly in its jaws.
While the Delta variant-fueled surge in infections may have peaked, US deaths are more than 1,900 a day on average – the highest level since early March – and the country’s overall toll topped 675,000 Monday, according to the count kept by Johns Hopkins University, though the real number is believed to be higher.
Winter may bring a new surge, with the University of Washington’s influential model projecting an additional 100,000 or so Americans will die of Covid-19 by 1 January, which would bring the overall US toll to 776,000.
