Pandemics 1

The Spanish Flu 1918 vs. COVID-19 2020

Kaitlyn Chambers

Youngstown State University Nursing

Community Health Nursing

Mrs. Thomas

September 27, 2021

Pandemics 2

The Spanish Flu vs. COVID-19 2020

Two of the biggest pandemics the world has experienced are the Spanish Flu and

COVID-19. Both viruses have impacted the world very seriously in many ways. These two

pandemics caused a global threat to community health. An outbreak like this takes the whole

population to work together to fix. Some of the ways we as global citizens were affected were

with deaths, economic downturns, and job losses. Certain populations were affected more than

others. For example, in both 1918 and 2020 there was a shortage or nurses to care for these

patients affected with the viruses and the hospitals were overcrowded. During the Spanish Flu it

got so bad that people would kidnap nurses on their way home to help treat their family because

of such high demand. During COVID-19 communities all over had to start offering covid testing

and healthcare workers had to do contact tracing and educate the community on symptoms,

incubation periods, quarantining and much more. Examples and information from the Spanish

Flu helped us during the COVID-19 pandemic to flatten the curve by social distancing, the

efficacy of mask, and the advisability of school closings.

The Spanish Flu caused around five million deaths worldwide which was about one-third

of the population at the time. The influenza cases outnumber deaths from the war. The Spanish

Flu was also coined the blue death because of the cyanosis that occurred right before death. No

one knows how the virus was eradicated but many believe it just became less severe overtime.

Some similarities between The Spanish Flu and COVID-19 were that they both caused

the world population to shut down and go into quarantine and wear masks in public. Also, they

both have symptoms that present at first as normal influenza. A third similarity is that bot viruses
Pandemics 3

had a second peak and a variant that started to spread as well. Also, both viruses were thought to

have originated in China.

Some differences between the two are that the Spanish Flu affected more people who

were in their prime while COVID-19 affected more people over the age of 65. Having a strong

immune system was a liability for those with the Spanish Flu but helped those who had COVID-

19. Both viruses killed with different mechanisms. The cause of death of the Spanish Flu was

pneumonia, while COVID-19’s cause of death was multiple organ failure. Both diseases can lead

to ARD’s as well. A third difference between the two is how the population handled the disease.

During the Spanish Flu many people were scared and did all they could to

Some mistakes that happened during the Spanish Flu was the misinformation that was

spread throughout the pandemic because of all the countries who were fighting in WW1. Many

countries would name the disease after the country that infected them because they did not want

other countries to know they were weakened by a mass illness. Another mistake was that some

countries and states were not expecting a second and third wave and were not as prepared

causing the virus to spread more quickly and to more people.

Some successful interventions that took place during the Spanish Flu was the government

shutdowns and mask mandates. Also, many people took the virus very seriously and followed

their laws and allowed the spread of the diseases to lessen. A third successful intervention

happened in San Francisco and St Louis when as soon as a Flu case was reported they shut down

schools, movie theaters and all public gatherings to help flatten the curve.

Some successful intervention that was implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic

were the quarantine and mask mandate which isolated the virus. Also, the travel ban allowed
Pandemics 4

different countries to isolate the virus on their own with their own laws without having other

countries coming in to reinfect them. The vaccine was also a successful intervention allowing an

immunity to the disease and allowing countries to open back up and start to get back to normal.

A third intervention that was successful was being prepared for a second wave of the virus to

come around. Having the knowledge, we did from the Spanish Flu really helped us be prepared.

Some mistakes that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic were the delays of

shutting down the economies across the country. This allowed for the disease to spread all over

the world. The platform that the media holds today has impacted the way we as humans perceive

information. Throughout the pandemic people have been turning to the media including news

stations and, social media like Twitter and Facebook, etc. to get information. This caused so

many conflicting views surrounding the virus and a lot of misinformation. People started to

question the government and the use of masks and whether to get the vaccine became more of a

political issue rather than a scientific ideal. A third mistake that occurred was that many people

did not believe the disease was real and instead of following the mandates that were set they in

turn did not wear masks, went on vacation, and went on with there normal lives as if COVID-19

had never existed. This causes for the disease to be spread more quickly and to more people.

In conclusion, both viruses affected the world in many ways. They both were very similar

in many ways but also had many differences mainly because of the time they occurred in. We as

a country have come a long way in technology since the Spanish Flu and were a lot more

prepared for when COVID-19 occurred. I believe that if another pandemic were to ever happen

we would be well prepared to handle it.

Pandemics 5

References

Merc Docs. (2020, April 19). Spanish flu 1918: The forgotten pandemic. YouTube. Retrieved
September 27, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvt0ldtJFIM.

Wheelock, D. (2020). What can we learn from the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-19 for covid-
19? Economic Research - Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Retrieved September 27,
2021, from https://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/economic-synopses/2020/05/18/
what-can-we-learn-from-the-spanish-flu-pandemic-of-1918-19-for-covid-19.