Coronavirus outbreak echoes 1918 influenza pandemic – diversity

Ronald D. Moore reconsidered “Battlestar Galactica”, a shabby remnant of humanity, often responds to adversity by calling articles on their religion. All this happens again. “

Because we are facing the real world Coronavirus Pandemic, the mantra sounds true. This all happened before: a very contagious and deadly virus that relays the planet before exploding in a pandemic. Denial and uncertainty between political leaders. The rally was banned. Entertainment production has ceased and thousands of unemployed. Fear and sorrow as entertainment professionals, including celebrities, can be sick.

It explains the novel 2019-20 global pandemic Coronavirus, COVID-19. Also, Spanish cold Pandemic from 1918 to 20.

The virus was contagious COVID-19 And fatal (but not so much if the current number is correct). Revisit varietyThe 1918 pandemic coverage of our eerie repercussions of that era and important things about what can be expected over the coming months, what can be done to avoid repetition, and what will happen afterwards Reveal the lesson.

It is unknown how many people have died from the Spanish flu today. It is estimated that there are 675,000 deaths in the United States and 50 million worldwide.

Some similarities between Spanish flu and COVID-19 can cause dejavu. In 1918 variety Ocean liner Niagara reported that she was unable to dock at 300 quarantine stations in Australia. In the 21st century, ships are getting bigger. 700 ships were quarantined off the coast of Yokohama, Japan for a few weeks on the Diamond Princess. When the Grand Princess was refused to anchor at San Francisco Bay, 3,500 people stayed at the Grand Princess.

Then, as now, conspiracy theories have grown. “A great story about the Spanish flu has spread.” variety report. “Some are based on the origin of the enemy. Health professionals say the story is wonderful.”

A century later, Jerry Falwell Jr. said of the campus closure on March 13.Fox and friendsSuggested that the virus could be a North Korean biological weapon developed in cooperation with China and could be part of a political dirty trick designed to hurt President Trump.

The same is true for the origins of the two diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website suggests that Fort Reilly, Kansas was the first site of the outbreak. From late winter to spring in 1918, World War I was fully mobilized. Thousands of men flocked to barracks living near pig farms. The pigs may have infected the men in the camp with the flu. One hundred years later, COVID-19 seems to have jumped at humans at the raw meat market in Wuhan, China.

People lack immunity because both viruses are “new” and “new” and have new meanings. Both are highly contagious and attack the lungs, spreading through small droplets that are released when the infected person talks, sneezes, or coughs. According to the Institute for Disease Modeling, the virus is almost equally contagious and appears to be very close in severity.

But they behave differently in important ways. The 1918 flu was particularly dangerous for people between the ages of 20 and 40. Pregnant women were particularly vulnerable. Young performers were hit hard. Because it can cause a “cytokine storm” overreaction from the body’s immune system, the virus is often killed at a terrible rate, sometimes within hours or even minutes after the onset of symptoms. The stronger immune system of young adults may have worked against them.

The flu pandemic was the first article in the October 11, 1918 edition of Variety magazine. variety

In contrast, early data showed that COVID-19 was the most dangerous for the elderly and those with compromised immunity, and rarely died immediately. Infected people usually have mild to moderate days of flu-like symptoms. However, in 20% of cases, the virus moves from the nasal passages to the lungs, falls into severe illness, and some die. The time between symptom onset and death is 2 to 8 weeks.

The flu in 1918 boiled during the summer, especially among troops gathered in Europe, but the troops limited reporting of illness during the troops. In Spain where there was no fight, ample reports covered the disease progression. Therefore, Monica Spanish cold.

Americans read the pandemic news, but there was no urgency. Previously, there was a flu outbreak, but there was no indication that it was a catastrophe. July 12, 1918, variety According to London reports, it has almost reached epidemic levels, disrupting “many programs”. But in August a refreshing cable reported. “Now the famous Spanish gripping epidemic has emerged in Paris, it is in a mild form and medical authorities are closely monitoring the state of this form of flu, so there is little need for anxiety.” Although the lie was forced by censors in the United States, the report did not go far enough to call the outbreak a hoax.

variety I didn’t cover much of the fashion, as it was a story for the daily newspaper, not the news of the show world. However, in the issue of September 20, 1918, the pages of Boardville reported that several military camps where many tours were booked were under quarantine. A week later, a show in Chicago was in a front page article affected by the “Span flu outbreak.” Boston ordered the closing of theaters and schools. Almost overnight, the epidemic jumped from curiosity to crisis.

The flu was more spread in some places than elsewhere, and its response was heterogeneous. The event was moving very fast and couldn’t keep up every week.

varietyReporters were still skeptical. In an October 4 issue of an expanded report on store closures in New England, theater reservations dropped due to “panic panic pushed by the press as a result of a Spanish flu outbreak in eastern Massachusetts.” I moaned. The “ 100 Legal Theatres and 400 Painting Houses ” in the Boston metropolitan area have already been banned for more than 3,000 people for 10 days, and the theater is not scheduled to resume as originally planned was.

The epidemic in northern New York was “ wasting on the ramp, ” but Syracuse said that “ although soldiers, nurses, and civilians have high mortality rates, ” theaters are likely to be shut down. . The outbreak was most severe in a nearby army camp that was under quarantine, but “all inches of the room available at the local hospital are being used for case care. It is a victim and the severity of the general situation is increasing. “

That is the scenario that today’s “flattening curve” strategy is intended to avoid. However, in 1918, the concept of “social distance” disappeared and people could not work from home, so people continued to gather and had disastrous consequences.

“ Theater guys ” in Boston resisted the order to close the venue, saying, “ Elevated railroads are allowed to pack cars into congested areas during rush hours, department stores, markets, and office building elevators We were allowed to crowd people together without criticism. “Eventually, theater managers preferred government orders rather than voluntary closures. Because the official ban helped them escape the contract with the actor.

After a week, varietyThe top page headline states that the epidemic shows no sign of immediate decline, and an article below has declared Boston “the city is completely dead.”

“Without the theater, the public has decided to go home. The danger of catching a new form of grip will help them determine that the house is not, after all, a sad place.”

In another story, “ American theater records did not significantly affect the entire amusement field and were forced to completely close theaters in areas as large as the spread of influenza in Spain. There is nothing. ” President TrumpThe hope is that spring warmth will end the threat of COVID-19, variety According to the report, “Health Director advised that the coldest climate was the most powerful help to eradicate the epidemic.”

Besides Boston, at least 50 cities have closed theaters. (“This is the first time the city has been closed.” varietyDispatched to Seattle. Indiana has closed 600 theaters, schools and churches. Similar actions were taken in Louisiana. But some areas, especially the vast majority in the south, were still thinking about it. Ohio was open. The adjacent Kentucky was open or closed depending on which. variety Articles you believed. The conflicting report ran on a single page.

In New York, the theater continued to operate, but staging times were reduced to reduce congestion of the subway and other public transportation around Times Square. The venue in New Jersey has been closed except for some places across the river from Gotham.

A century later, two cities are often cited as models of “do” and “do not”. Philadelphia, which allowed parades and other public gatherings, caused a terrible pandemic. After more than 200,000 incidents in the state on October 3, variety Called “the most thorough health order ever issued in this federation”, it closed all meeting places, including schools. “Since then, millions of people have not been able to enjoy the entertainment in the state, and no one was protesting.

Meanwhile, St. Louis closed the rally quickly. On October 8, a delegation of theater owners opposed a drastic action on the mayor of Henry Keel. However, the city ended up with a far more severe outbreak than Philadelphia and other cities. St. Louis’ response is supported as a model.

October 11 variety Debuted a massive “pandemic victim” feature. In its first week, 17 deaths and 12 serious illnesses were reported between professionals in the entertainment industry and their families. On October 18, epidemic coverage occupied the first page. The headline reads “There were few hopeful reports,” and the subheading “Epidemic Spreading West… New York and San Francisco Only Big Cities Opens.” More than 30 people died in the casualties . Most studios had stopped producing. Los Angeles reported 1,000 new cases on October 15 alone.

However, several cities, including Boston and Syracuse, had already planned bans. New York City, which had not closed the theater, needed some action after 900 new cases occurred on October 15. The city has banned smoking in theaters and admission to standing seats. The venue can play to capacity, but nothing more.

The November 1 “Popular Casualties” section was almost as full as last week, but the headline wrote: Many reopens next week. The worst situation seems to be over in two weeks, about two weeks after the US epidemic exploded. A truce to end the war has joined the festive mood. Many cities and states have lifted bans and reopened theaters, schools, and churches. November 15 variety “The wave of the trend has passed. The whole nation has resumed.”

The first part was wrong.

In the first century since the 1918 outbreak, scientists have studied Spanish flu as a medical mystery. Some of that mystery remains unresolved. One of the big puzzles: how does a pandemic become three waves?

The first, in the spring of 1918, did not disappear in the summer but became quiet. Second, a more deadly wave has come in the fall. A kind of extreme action was revived in 2020, such as closing public spaces and banning large-scale rallies. The wave spread rapidly and had high peaks where experts and authorities were trying to pioneer 2020.

The truce on November 11 was a celebration event. Troops were demobilized, but celebrations and homecomings further spread the virus.

The reopening of public places soon followed as if everything was going well, but reports still remove the continuation of the pandemic. So variety Indianapolis reports that the flu is “ancient history” and Cincinnati companies have successfully repelled the closure order. A dispatch from Seattle said on December 18 that there were 11,000 cases of influenza and 6,000 deaths. That 54% mortality rate seems unlikely in retrospect. In the United States, overall morbidity is said to be as low as 2% (it is thought to be as high as 10% globally).

Before Christmas, Swaths in the country that lifted restrictions were forced to put them back. December 20 variety “New regulations are being enforced in many Midwestern cities, and theaters are allowed to operate, but can now fill 50% of homes.” Washington, D.C. reported that “the theater here is doing great business,” but with lower mortality, there were 400 new cases per day.

The report of this second wave lasted until 1919. Deaths decreased, but new cases were plentiful. Australia is still in danger of a pandemic, and theater closures lasted 13 weeks.

The flu news turned out to be weaker as the weather warmed, and demand for entertainment increased. Ticket sales surge. Everything looked good. Perhaps another wave came in October, with even cooler weather trends.

Neither varietyBoth the editors and the experts they consulted were aware of their upcoming plans. On Halloween, the story with the headline “Low influenza mortality” began with a warning that sounds too familiar today. , Or other amusement locations, can infect virtually everyone in that crowd. “

This ever-slower warning from Dr. Royal S. Copeland of the New York State Health Commission has accompanied the reassurance that mortality from influenza has been at least the lowest since 1866. Especially to keep the lobby crowded, keep the venue well ventilated, and avoid dry cleaning to prevent dust scattering.

Such advice seems laughable today, but it shows how limited the knowledge of the virus at the time was. Virology was a state-of-the-art science in the early 20th century, and viruses were poorly understood and poorly specified. In the next two months, the third wave was rebuilt to be the homepage story again. Business was sluggish enough for Universal to cut salaries by half in its New York office. There was a rash of performers missing the show due to the flu.

At the end of January 1920, Broadway takeouts were apparently reduced due to flu. By that time, some had pointed to prohibition and ban on medicinal alcohol for the recurrence of the disease. In February, a star as large as Al Jolson fell ill, closing stores in the south and Canada. But despite these hotspots, there was a faint echo of the catastrophic peak of 1918. Authorities and the audience were not too worried. As the autumn of 1920 approached, producers were more prepared for the flu, but there was no new wave.

The Spanish flu is gone.