| Popis: |
Often our communication declares that COVID-19 is the worst infection of the past hundred years, if not the worst one ever. When comparing COVID-19 to other respiratory epidemics and pandemics that have occurred in the past hundred years, it is important to provide accurate information about how many people were killed in the past infections and how our response impacted the outcome. We use BRCTs to look at the 1918 flu pandemic, the 1957 and 1968 flu epidemics, and the more recent flu outbreaks of 2009 and 2017. We also look at past Coronavirus outbreaks and pandemics. By accurately assessing how these outbreaks were perceived and confronted by Americans at the time, we are able to put COVID-19 in context and to better learn how our own response to a pandemic compares with historical norms. |
