What we can learn about year 3 of COVID from the 1918 influenza pandemic

The influenza pandemic of 1918 did not end in 1918 or even 1919 — but it did fade from the headlines even as the death toll mounted in 1920, the third year of the pandemic, The Washington Post recounts.
There are a lot of parallels between 1920 and now, at the beginning of the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Post reports: Hopes for an end to the pandemic dashed by waves of infection and death from a new variant, Americans "weary of the limitations on daily life," and a reactionary lifting of "nearly all of the public health restrictions — such as mask-wearing, social distancing, and the closure of schools and churches."
The flu did eventually transition from a deadly pandemic to "a milder, more seasonal nuisance," the Post says, but in the meantime, "the country's experience a century ago suggests that we could be in for a lot more pain — especially if we let our guard down."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
There are plenty of differences between COVID and the 1918 pandemic — influenza viruses and coronavirus are genetically distinct, for example; this coronavirus appears to mutate faster; but we now have "more-sanitary hospital conditions, better access to clean water, and — perhaps what is most notable — a vaccine," the Post notes. But some things are the same, like the limits to human endurance and the universal drive to know, as Tom Waits sings: "How's it going to end?"
The answer to that is probably — probably — a critical mass of immunity from vaccines and previous infection.
Still, "predictions of the virus's demise have been wrong every time," the Post reported later Sunday, in a look at the current state of the pandemic. "Most experts have given up trying. We are just one variant away from going through it all over again." That roller coast of uncertainty after five surges in two years has left a growing segment of the U.S. population "fatigued, frustrated, and frazzled," the Post adds, and determined to "simply live with the coronavirus and move on."
"We'd like to be done," said Maurice Schweitzer, a behavioral scientist at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. "The problem is, it's a virus. It's not getting tired."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Does Reform have a Russia problem?
Talking Point Nigel Farage is ‘in bed with Putin’, claims Rachel Reeves, after party’s former leader in Wales pleaded guilty to taking bribes from the Kremlin
-
Five key questions about the Gaza peace deal
The Explainer Many ‘unresolved hurdles’ remain before Donald Trump’s 20-point plan can get the go-ahead
-
See the Northern Lights from these bucket list destinations
The Week Recommends The dazzling displays can be spotted across Iceland, Sweden and parts of Canada
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the right
Speed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
-
The new Stratus Covid strain – and why it’s on the rise
The Explainer ‘No evidence’ new variant is more dangerous or that vaccines won’t work against it, say UK health experts
-
‘Nightmare bacteria’ are rapidly spreading
Under the radar The infections are largely resistant to antibiotics
-
Kissing bug disease has a growing presence in the US
The explainer The disease has yielded a steady stream of cases in the last 10 years
-
Climate change is making us eat more sugar
Under the radar Sweets make the heat feel more manageable
-
Trump makes unmoored claims on Tylenol and autism
Speed Read No causal relationship has been established between autism and acetaminophen use during pregnancy
-
RFK Jr. vaccine panel advises restricting MMRV shot
Speed Read The committee voted to restrict access to a childhood vaccine against chickenpox
-
Quit-smoking ads are being put out
Under the radar The dissolution of a government-funded campaign could lead to more smokers in the future