Covid 21 months after it struck: Is it a replay of the Spanish Flu?

News: The current pandemic pattern shows the present situation of covid worldwide.

What are the official mortality data shows?

The data on mortality from Covid-19 shows that the pandemic seems to be reducing. Covid mortality has declined. There have been two distinct waves, and America and Europe are reeling under the third wave.

What are the challenges facing a virus pandemic?

Knowledge of viruses and their evolution is limited. Even classification of the virus as dead or alive is not clear. Viruses mutate rapidly, making vaccine development difficult.

Unusually, mortality is higher in developed countries like America. Some viruses can be infectious and some lethal. When a virus which is a combination of both emerges, that becomes a health challenge.

What can one learn from the experience of the Spanish flu?

The mortality was not high at the epicenter like in the case of Covid in China. There are multiple mutations that lead to multiple waves like Covid second wave. While the initial mutations are deadly, the later variants become less deadly.

Though viruses remain mysterious, the healthcare systems have reduced mortality. The knowledge of the past shows that pandemics have been handled well and the rate of recovery has been good. So, rapid advances in technology are required to limit the transmission and spread of viruses.

Source: This post is based on the article “Covid 21 months after it struck: Is it a replay of the Spanish Flu?” published in Livemint on 17th December 2021.