COVID-19: a comparison to the 1918 influenza and how we can defeat it

This paper is dedicated to Andrew Price Smith for his extensive analysis of the impact of the 1918 influenza and for being the first to investigate the Austrian Spanish Influenza Archives to demonstrate that the virus struck the Axis troops prior to the Alliance, which forced Kaiser to opt for peace. The COVID-19 pandemic has altered the lives of people around the world, with significant death toll in addition to global social, political and economic impact. Many people have wondered how it compares to the seasonal influenza and prior pandemics. In order to better understand and manage the current pandemic, it is useful to compare it to historical pandemics, such as the Spanish influenza of 1918.1 The 1918 Spanish influenza is caused by an H1N1 influenza A virus postulated to be of avian origin.2 The 1918 Spanish influenza lasted from 1918 to 1920 and consisted of four waves. The first wave lasted approximately from 15 February 1918 to 1 June 1918; the second lasted approximately from 1 August 1918 to 2 December 1918; the third lasted approximately from 3 December 1918 to 30 April 1919; and the fourth wave lasted approximately from 1 December 1919 to 30 April 1920.3 It infected about 500 million people, roughly one-third of the world’s population at that time, and resulted in the deaths of 50 million, including 675 000 Americans.2 The first public news of the epidemic appeared in Madrid on 22 May 1918 in Madrid’s ABC newspaper; hence, it became known as the Spanish influenza.4 However, there is no definite evidence of origination, and most epidemiologists and virologists believe that the virus originated in either the USA or France.4 A week later on 28 May 1918, King Alfonso XIII, the Prime Minister and some cabinet members became …