Spanish Flu Vs.

Covid-19 Analysis Paper

Cadeesia Douglas

Youngstown State University

Community Health Nursing

 When it comes to the Spanish Flu and Covid-19 there are many similarities to take into

consideration. Three of the main similarities between the two are the ability for the virus to

mutate and spread very quickly through respiratory droplets, the mask mandates around the

world, and hospitals running out of room for patients. During each pandemic the virus mutated

rapidly which made it hard to keep up with and create a cure or a vaccine. After a certain number

of cases in both situations, mandatory face coverings were required meaning you could not leave

your house and go into the public without one. This helped slow the spread but did not

completely stop it. Another big issue with both viruses was the lack of space and beds for sick

patients. Many people were becoming ill so fast that the hospitals could not provide enough

rooms and were forced to use hallways and pop-up tents as back up health care places. Three

differences between the two pandemics are the amount of technology and resources we now have

compared to back then, the number of nurses and doctors available and how each one started.

Compared to 1918, technology has improved dramatically, and resources are more abundant.

Science has also become more of an understood subject and vaccines are able to be created with

time. The number of doctors, nurses and health care providers has also increased since the

Spanish Flu which means more care can be provided to those who become infected with Covid-

19. Unfortunately, there is still a shortage of doctors and nurses who are slowly becoming burnt

out caring for not only the Covid-19 patients but other patients as well. Back in 1918 nursing

students were pulled out of school to help with the pandemic because of the lack of staffing

compared to the number of patients. The third difference is how each virus began. The Spanish

Flu is said to have started from infected birds, Chinese laborers, or sickened pigs. Covid-19 is

suspected to have come from an animal as well (a bat), but the virus mutated into a human form

after the animal was ingested as food.

 The Spanish Flu posed a global threat due to its rapid ability to spread, mutate and infect

people through microscopic respiratory droplets. This made it hard to stop the virus despite the

many attempted solutions. The health of the population was deteriorating, and the virus was

spreading worldwide. Sailors were bringing it to and from different countries and soldiers were

too. Scientists did not understand what they were dealing with and did not know how to control

it. Covid-19 is also a global threat because it’s affecting the whole world and not just some of it.

The coronavirus has spread not only through the United States but to other countries and

continents. This happened mostly due to the infected traveling which then exposes others and

creates a chain reaction. One person can infect 15 other people in just one day and that’s when

the ripple effect begins. Each one of the viruses caused the whole world to be affected. The two

were labeled as pandemics meaning “occurring over a wide geographic area (such as multiple

countries or continents) and typically affecting a significant proportion of the population”

(Merriam Webster).

There were many resolutions used to slow the transmission of the Spanish Flu and Covid-

19. Some of the successful ones were hand washing, quarantining, and closures of places like

restaurants, schools, movie theatres and other places people gather close together. Hand washing

is the number one way to stop the spread of disease. The proper technique must be used and

when it is, it works. Hot water and soap are the best way to kill germs and prevent soiling objects

around you. Quarantine encouraged people who were infected to stay home that way they did not

infect those they encountered. In 1918 a white scarf on the door handle was used as a symbol to

represent that someone in the household was infected and that people should stay away. The last

approach to slow the spread was to close big areas where people congregate and cannot socially

distance themselves from one another. This included schools, movie theatres, diners, some
stores, and malls. This would prevent people from accumulating in places and being close

together. Many of these solutions had successful outcomes and were able to slow the spread of

the virus at least a little. There were some unsuccessful outcomes too such as opening these

places back up too quickly, sending children back to school too early and not taking the virus

seriously in the first place. Sickness is such a common issue in the world that we often take for

granted how quickly things can take a turn for the worse. What may seem like a simple cold or

flu can change into a life threating pandemic that puts the whole world at risk. Being able to

catch a new virus early is critical in the health of the population and has the potential to save

many lives. During each pandemic the world shut down and attempted to reopen. But the viruses

were too strong and too smart and took over again. It is hard to put the world on pause due to

how the economic system works based off supply and demand. If we close the factories down

there’s no money to be made, and no jobs for the people which causes supply to decrease. This

creates a ripple effect and increases the demand on products. This was part of the reason the

world opened back up so quickly. There was a need for products but no supply to fill that void.

The economic system was struggling, and unemployment and stimulus check money was

running low.

In conclusion, the Spanish Flu and Covid-19 are very similar in many ways. They are

both a virus that can spread through respiratory droplets which causes them to travel and mutate

quickly. It is important to act quickly before things get out of control and create a complete

shutdown of the world. Knowing what to do and how to prepare for a pandemic can affect global

health in a more positive way rather than negative. The most important factors to keep in mind

are to wash your hands, socially distance yourself from others in public, and stay home if you are

feeling sick.
 References

MediLexicon International. (n.d.). Coronavirus (covid-19) Origin: Cause and how it spreads.

Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/coronavirus-

causes#origin.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Pandemic. Merriam-Webster.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pandemic.

YouTube. (2020, April 19). Spanish flu 1918: The Forgotten pandemic. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvt0ldtJFIM.