[ad_1]
- Hesitant action, relieve too soon and ignore restrictions: The patterns for dealing with the Spanish flu are strikingly similar to those for the corona pandemic.
- This is demonstrated by an interdisciplinary research team from the Universities of Zurich and Toronto, which compares the Spanish flu of 1918 and 1919 in the canton of Bern with the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.
In 1918 and 1919, the Spanish flu spread throughout the world and, according to historical sources, killed 24,447 people in Switzerland. The long second wave, in particular, claimed many victims.
“It is impressive how the actions of the government and authorities during the pandemics of 1918 and 2020 became increasingly similar,” said historian Kaspar Staub of the University of Zurich.
Limitations lifted too early
For their study, the Swiss-Canadian research team tracked what happened in the canton of Bern during the Spanish flu, where the aggressive virus was particularly strong.
It is impressive how the actions of the government and authorities during the pandemics of 1918 and 2020 have become increasingly similar.
At the beginning of the first wave, the canton of Bern reacted quickly and centrally. It restricted meetings, closed theaters, cinemas and schools, and banned choir rehearsals (shops and factories remained open). Infections decreased, after which all restrictions were lifted again. Too soon, as it soon became clear: the much worse fall wave was coming.
Fear of financial consequences
The fatal outcome according to the study: At the beginning of the second wave, the canton reacted hesitantly and placed responsibility in the hands of individual communities. In some cases, they took measures much less harsh than the canton during the first wave.
“This decentralized reaction for fear of new restrictions and their economic consequences did not work,” Staub said. It was not until a few weeks later that the cantonal government again issued stricter and more central measures: the pandemic subsided a bit.
Long lasting second wave
But the second wave of the flu kept the population firmly in check. In November 1918, with the number of cases still high, conflicts arose between the government and the workers, resulting in a so-called state strike and mass rallies. In particular, the concentration of troops in the central cities boosted the broadcasts again.
“We can see that these events were associated with a significant increase in the number of cases and that the second wave lasted much longer,” Staub said. A similar development of infections due to coronavirus mutations is now feared.
An end will surely come
The study shows that Switzerland could have learned from its history, said Bernese co-author and epidemiologist Peter Jüni of the Canadian University of Toronto.
“From my external perspective, it is difficult to understand that in a well-organized, highly developed and privileged country like Switzerland, one thousandth person dies from Covid-19 and one in three hundred is hospitalized.” Unfortunately, the Federal Council acted too hesitantly in this crisis situation in the Swiss concordance system.
From my external perspective, it is difficult to understand that in a well-organized, highly developed and privileged country like Switzerland, one thousandth person dies from Covid-19 and one in three hundred is hospitalized.
However, the historical view also reveals something hopeful: In the spring of 1919, the Spanish flu again became a relatively mild third wave, after which it disappeared. “The acute phases of pandemics will finally pass,” Staub said.
