The Covid-19 pandemic is changing the world in unexpected and unprecedented ways, going well beyond wild animals reclaiming urban spaces and amateur music performances on Instagram. At the time of writing this, close to two million people around the world have tested positive for the virus with over 125,000 deaths,^[1] and the projections go well over what we’d call ‘manageable’. The human cost also includes the many millions around the world who’ll suffer in the forthcoming financial recession, which—by some expert estimates—may be our worst one since the Great Depression.^[2]

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The virus is also peculiar in that we simply don’t know how it works. It’s one of those things where the real—and responsible—experts tell you that they don’t know for sure, as there are still huge gaps between how we expect the virus to behave, and what we’re witnessing among the patients on the ground.

10 Why Are Young, Fit People Dying, Too?

One of the most concerning parts of the pandemic is the disproportionately high rate of fatalities among the elderly. This allows the virus to spread virtually undetected among younger, less vulnerable parts of the population. You may think that’s a good thing, but it’s not. SARS Cov-2 can lie undetected and spread far and wide, until it reaches the older hosts and wreaks havoc on them. If the symptoms were a bit more severe and detectable in their early stages, the virus would have had a far harder time reaching its older targets.

That doesn’t mean that the younger people are immune, though, as quite a few of them have died from the virus, too. It’s something we don’t yet completely comprehend, as according to our current understanding of the pandemic, relatively fit and younger folks should not be developing the more serious symptoms. It’s a big part of the larger question of how the virus affects different people in so many different ways, and answering it is crucial to preventing future, potentially-deadlier outbreaks.^[3]

9 Can We Infect Animals?

Despite the rather long list of things we still don’t know about the Covid-19 pandemic, we do know that it came from animals. There’s still fierce debate around exactly which animal it was—with pangolins, bats and even poultry as potential suspects—though we’re guessing researchers will get to the animals once they’re done with the humans.

What’s baffling scientists, though, is how the mutated, human form of the virus is now transmitting back to animals, something no one had predicted. Among wild animals, a tiger at Bronx Zoo was recently diagnosed with the Covid-19 strain, along with several others starting to show similar symptoms. While it’s hardly the only case of its kind, all of the other cases of human-to-animal transmission involve household pets.

This is the first instance of the SARS Cov-2 strain infecting wild animals, and no one is sure how. Our best guess is that it came from one of the infected zoo workers without any symptoms. If that’s the case, it should have passed on to other animals, too. No other animal—not even the other big cats—have shown any symptoms yet, so it’s possible that it just affects tigers for some reason.^[4]

8 We Still Don’t Understand Its Biology

It’s true that the Covid-19 outbreak has disportionately affected the first world, meaning that some of the world’s best healthcare experts are currently hard at work trying to understand how it works. Worryingly, though, that hasn’t meant much, as the SARS Cov-2 strain has proven to be far more difficult to understand than we ever imagined.

At the heart of the problem lies the big question about the fundamental biological structure of the virus. While we do know that it’s shaped like a spiky ball—with the spikes meant to break into living tissue—exactly how that translates into the unrealistically-high rate of its spread remains a mystery, as many other relatively-harmless viruses—including other coronavirus strains—have the capability to do that, too. We simply don’t know what it is about the SARS family of coronaviruses that makes them so deadly to humans, or even—as we’ll come to in a bit—how it learned to affect humans at all.^[5]

7 Its Evolution In Humans Is Still Poorly Understood

The biology of the virus may help us better understand its effects, though there’s still the question of exactly how the SARS Cov-2 strain learned to infect humans at all. While we’re no strangers to coronaviruses infecting people, they’ve always needed some time to mutate and learn to infect new hosts. The last SARS strain—also called SARS-classic—needed some time to mutate in the human body before causing any real damage. The current virus, however, seemingly knew how to infect and kill from the get go, as it hasn’t changed in any considerable way since the start of the pandemic.

That doesn’t mean that it isn’t mutating, though none of the mutations have been able to gain dominance over the original one. Put it this way; the current SARS Cov-2 strain doesn’t need to change itself to infect more hosts (yet), as it’s already able to do that without much effort.^[6]

6 People Are Testing Negative, And Then Positive

While we grapple with tens of thousands of cases showing up around the world every day, doctors are faced with a new unexplained problem. Many patients that were previously found to be negative are now testing positive, calling into question the very methods and tools we’re using to detect it.

While it’s true that the virus can remain dormant for some time before it shows any symptoms, nearly every country is already taking that into account before discharging suspected patients. Guidelines from the now-disgraced and defunded WHO require that all recovered patients should test negative for the virus twice, with an interval of at least 24 hours between the tests. Concerningly some of those recovered patients are now testing positive for the virus, and we have no idea why.^[7]

According to some experts, the virus may have the ability to deactivate and reactivate itself inside a human host, though it could also be patients getting re-infected from other sources after being discharged, or something else entirely. We just don’t know. All of those possibilities, though, fly in the face of the popular notion that the recovered patients would develop some kind of an immunity towards the virus—as it works in most other diseases we know of— which would in turn strengthen the collective immunity of the whole population. Moreover, if the virus can just reactivate itself on a whim, what does ’recovered’ even mean?^[8]

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5 The Carriers With No Symptoms At All

If you study the various pandemics in history, you’d realize that the secret of the Chinese virus’s success isn’t its high rate of spread or even fatalities. We’ve dealt with far deadlier diseases than this one in the past; it’s nowhere close to the Black Death or the Spanish Flu in its death count or rate of infection. It is, however, different in one way; infected people could go about their lives with mild or even no symptoms at all, helping it reach even more people than any of those diseases ever could. It creates, in effect, a society full of “Typhoid Marys”, or perhaps more fittingly for our time: “Coronavirus Karens”.

What scientists don’t know, though, is how many of these cases are out there. At this point, it’s clear that known infections or popular hotspots can’t be solely responsible for the deluge of cases pouring in by the minute. While there have been many cases wherein patients with mild or no symptoms were tested positive for the virus, those are only the ones we were able to test. People with a runny nose or cough tend to not think of it as a big deal, and according to many doctors and scientists, they may be the primary reason behind the mind-bogglingly rapid spread of the virus.^[9]

4 Why Are Children So Good At Fighting It?

It’s no breaking news that the novel coronavirus strain affects everyone differently. The number of fatalities are way higher for the relatively-older people, which is popularly explained by their weakened immunity. That sounds like an intuitive explanation, though not if you consider that the virus is virtually ineffective on children. Compared to adult fatalities, the number of fatalities among children have been – thankfully – almost negligible.^[10]

While it’s definitely great news, it’s also inexplicable, as kids these days are hardly known for their high immunity to viruses, or fitness. In fact, children are usually at a disproportionately higher risk of contracting respiratory viral infections, like the common flu. And yet, many more people expected to have better mechanisms to fight off the virus have died from it than kids, and we really have no idea why.^[11]

3 How Do Patients Recover?

At this point, we have a fairly good idea about how the novel coronavirus kills its victims, even if many of the conditions leading up to that point are still shrouded in mystery. What we still don’t completely understand, though, is how anyone recovers from it?

Usually for other diseases, patients recover by developing antibodies, which don’t just help them fight off the current illness, but also secure their body against future attacks by the same strain. That immunity may not be permanent, like in the case of the Influenza virus, though the body still retains some signs of having fought off the disease.

That’s not the case for a surprisingly high number of recovered Covid-19 patients, and researchers are struggling to understand why. In one study done in China, most of the recovered had developed antibodies specifically meant for the SARS Cov-2 strain, which is how we’d expect it would work. 30% of the patients, however, had no signs of those or any other related antibodies, and it’s unclear how their bodies recovered at all.^[12]

2 The Invisible Line Of Transmission

Even if the number of cases around the world is growing at an alarming rate, we can at least trace most of them to potential sources of the virus. Knowing that a hospital is a hotspot can help us quarantine and isolate the area, contact everyone who may have been in its vicinity during the pandemic, and ensure that it doesn’t contribute towards any more infections.

Worryingly, though, we’re also seeing quite a few baffling cases from around the world without any discernible route of infection. For one, a toddler in Gujarat, India^[13] got infected and died despite there being no known cases in that entire district. And one man in California^[14] became the first American to contract the virus without coming into contact with any potential host.

1 How Does It Spread?

Most countries around the world are doing their best to stem the rate of infection, including strict measures like legally-enforced lockdowns and social distancing rules. All of that, however, is based on the assumption that everything we know about the virus is correct. As more and more research is showing us, we know very little, and our prevention techniques will have to consistently evolve if we have any chance of fighting this.

The biggest mystery of the Covid-19 pandemic is that we simply have no idea how it spreads, and anyone who says they do is just hazarding a guess. While it was earlier believed that it could only spread via physical touch, new research suggests that the virus could remain afloat in the air for much longer than we previously thought, and doesn’t require carriers like cough droplets to spread. In a possibly-related case, an entire choir was infected with the virus despite keeping their distance from each other at all times. Again, it’s our best guess that they got it from the air, as we’re still not clear on all the ways it could spread.^[15]

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I work at a value hotel in the part of the world that serves the Ark, the Creation Museum, the Cincinnati Reds, and other event spaces in the area. The region has been growing, hotels have been springing up like crazy, and many locals saw the hotel business as a great place for career mobility.

Then the coronavirus happened.

Now everything has changed. For some hotels, business has dropped to 10–20 percent (at best) of what they were doing and things look extremely grim. Despite the slowdown, it has also been incredibly chaotic. Everything is scary and unpredictable day to day. Here are 10 realities of life in the hotel industry during the coronavirus epidemic.

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10 Hotels Are Essential, But Layoffs And Hour Cuts Are Still Happening

In the crazy age of the coronavirus, hotels have been deemed essential. But that doesn’t ensure smooth sailing for hotel companies or their employees. Although many essential services have seen a spike in demand, hotels haven’t participated in the surge as tourism is at a standstill all over the world.

Many hotels do not want to deal with increases in unemployment insurance. So they are trying first to cut the hours of their employees before laying people off.

However, bigger hotels are often faring so poorly—due to an apocalyptic loss in occupancy—that they have no choice but to lay off employees. Some establishments near Disney World are furloughing people left and right because the closing of the park has left some 1,000-room hotels at only 1 percent occupancy. At that rate, they can hardly afford to keep the lights on, much less continue to pay all their employees.

As for Las Vegas, many resort hotels have shut down because a huge amount of their money comes from the casino business. This requires larger gatherings of people to be successful. More than anything, they are basically gaming spaces with a hotel attached. Without gaming resorts, there is no point in staying open.^[1]

9 Some Hotels Are Offering Special Home Office Rates For Daytime Stays

At least one hotel so far, Red Roof Inn, is offering a weekday special from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM to use their hotel rooms as a home office space. This offer is actually quite cheap, running at a little under $30 per day for your temporary office space. They even allow one other person and one pet.

Now this is half off most nightly rates for that type of hotel, but they’re probably not offering full amenities. Presumably, they don’t expect the guest to use the bed or the shower. No breakfast, either.

However, this is still quite inexpensive. Those who are searching for home office space might want to look into this or other hotels that may soon offer similar deals. To get away from it all and have your own work space for $30 dollars a day is fairly cheap, especially if the kids are home due to quarantine and you cannot concentrate long enough to finish your work.^[2]

8 Phones Have Been Ringing Off The Hook With Cancellation Calls

Once the number of COVID-19 cases escalated sharply, gatherings started to be banned and hotels repeatedly received the worst kind of calls: cancellations. For the first several weeks of the COVID-19 outbreak, the phones were ringing off the hook at my hotel. That was also true at many other establishments.

Everyone was getting cancellation calls for stays that ranged from only a few days in advance to those in late summer. Occupancy dropped like a stone overnight. The managers and owners of many hotels are now terrified that, at best, they will break even for the year. But that’s the rosy case and very unlikely to happen.

Many hotel employees are slightly traumatized at this point. Some have reached a point of weary resignation, knowing that most remaining calls will still be cancellations. We’re all just hoping that our hotels don’t have to close permanently and that we don’t have to look for new jobs.

There is also the worry of having your hours cut. Although the US Congress passed a stimulus package to help with unemployment benefits during the coronavirus pandemic, it can still be difficult to apply for and receive the money in a timely manner.

What do you do while you’re waiting? Very few places are hiring, especially part-time workers.^[3]

7 Breakfast Services Are Suspended Or Greatly Limited At Most Hotels

As the COVID-19 outbreak spiked significantly, one of the first things to change was how food was served. To comply with stay-at-home or shelter-in-place orders, restaurants closed their interior dining rooms. So you have to use delivery, curbside pickup, or drive-through because gatherings of more than a few people are now banned.

This left a lot of hotels in a weird gray area. They are not sure if they are properly complying with the law or not. Most states did not say anything specific about hotel breakfasts one way or another, although some states were unclear about whether a breakfast “buffet” was acceptable.

As a result, some hotel managers wondered if continental breakfasts were still okay as long as only a few guests gathered at once. Meanwhile, some establishments have shut down these dining options entirely, even if they don’t serve any hot foods. It hasn’t helped that the authorities have not given much guidance or clarification on the issue.

Out of an abundance of caution, most hotels have suspended their breakfasts or are offering to-go bags. If you need to visit a hotel for business or something, you should call them first to see if they still have any kind of breakfast options. That way, you’ll know if you need to plan ahead for the next morning.^[4]

6 People Are Trying To Get Rock-Bottom Prices When Hotels Are Already Struggling

Many people know that travel has been suspended in most places, that people aren’t gathering, that a lot of vacation destinations are closed, and that most hotels are doing incredibly badly right now. In fact, they might continue to perform poorly for the rest of the year.

However, like all things business, a hotel isn’t a charity and guests don’t consider their business a charity, either. With all the people running out of money right now, those who do need a hotel are looking for rock-bottom prices. This makes room sales supercompetitive.

Currently, some hotels are offering such low competitive rates that they risk losing money on their rooms because they are not receiving enough revenue to cover all the overhead. Some hotel owners believe that having a fuller house will look better to their creditors.

At the end of the day, though, any hotel that is selling out right now is barely breaking even and may even be operating at a small loss.^[5]

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5 When Prices Go Down, Many Criminals Come To Stay

As we’ve mentioned, hotel prices have cratered. As a result, drug dealers, prostitutes, and other ne’er-do-wells see these rock-bottom prices as a great opportunity to use hotels as the base of operations for their businesses. Many druggies who need a place to crash during a high are also tempted by the low prices.

If this wasn’t enough, many cities are now paying to put up homeless people in hotels during the pandemic. It would be great if they stayed inside, which is the whole point. However, many of these people are not self-quarantining. Instead, they are getting into trouble.

The problem extends beyond housing the homeless. They still need money for food, and some are trying to score drugs. Others just have side hustles. They want to save money so that they won’t be homeless forever.

Although it is great to give the homeless a place to quarantine, they simply don’t have the resources to just stay inside hotel rooms for weeks. They certainly don’t have the distractions available to them that most of us have, except for TVs in their rooms.

To make matters worse, many homeless people have mental illnesses. Just giving them homes without providing the help they need may reveal or even cause larger issues.^[6]

4 Some Hotel Workers Have Made Themselves Paranoid Wrecks Over The Virus

Like anyone on the “front lines,” some hotel workers have made themselves paranoid wrecks over getting the virus. Before finally quitting, one of my coworkers was donning a new pair of gloves after every customer and wearing a mask when the CDC was still saying it wasn’t necessary (although we know better now). She was also scaring the guests, who were afraid that she was wearing a mask because she had the coronavirus.

Although you want to be careful to avoid getting the virus, it is also important to base your actions on common sense and not just paranoia. Wearing gloves can help, but you also need to wash your hands after you take them off. You can’t touch anything that’s potentially infected and then touch your face, or the gloves are useless.

They can easily give you a false sense of security. In addition, your paranoia can stress you out and lower your immune system. Although hotel workers clean constantly, wash our hands like crazy, and take a lot of precautions, there is a point at which your methods to sanitize become nonstop panic cleaning that just dries out your skin without any additional health benefits.^[7]

3 Business Is Almost Impossible To Predict Even Day To Day

As stated in the introduction, I work at a value hotel. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, I could work the morning shift and predict how many guests we would have by the end of the day, give or take five individuals. That’s true even for hotels with lots of walk-in visitors.

Even on days when we weren’t doing that well or when it was a slow time of year, business was usually predictable day to day. Once you know the flow of your business, you develop a sense for how things will go.

However, this pandemic has changed everything. Due to cancellations, the criminal element, people traveling at the last minute to get back to their places of origin, homeless people, and many other factors, the hotel business has become impossible to predict day to day or even hour to hour.

The value hotel where I work has about 115 rooms. Right now, we are filling about 20–40 rooms a night. It is almost impossible to predict occupancy or which days will be better or worse.^[8]

2 Guests Are Much Chattier Because Everyone Wants To Talk About The Pandemic

You will get some chatty guests at a hotel, but most people just want to do their business and get on their way. However, the pandemic has changed all that. Customers and employees alike regularly commiserate about the virus.

In fact, regular guests who were never chatty are now talking much more. This virus has scared many of us. By discussing what’s going on, we have that human connection that can comfort some people and make them feel better.

Depending on the individual hotel employee, this can be either cathartic or stressful. Some like the chance to talk about the pandemic. Others are already hearing enough about it on the news and at work. These employees just wish they could forget about the virus for a few minutes.

Unfortunately, when you work in customer service, it is part of your job to chat people up and be sympathetic—even if you wish you could just ask them to please stop talking about the pandemic. You are already stressed out enough over it.^[9]

1 The Future Is Uncertain—No One Knows If Or When Things Will Be Normal Again

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, hotel owners and employees are nervous about the future of hotels. Many owners are convinced that this fiscal year is going to be a complete wash. Hitting breakeven is the new goal (if they can even manage it).

To make matters worse, no one is sure how bad this will be for the hotel industry in the long term. Yes, some hotels and motels will always exist because people need a place to stay. But others cater to guests who are visiting resorts and other attractions.

After the end of the pandemic, we may see a long-term change in how people interact at events, in large crowds, and with other groups. The Internet is such a powerful tool that we may see more virtual entertainment come out of this. Possibly, only smaller groups will be allowed to congregate, even in resort towns.

Even if the law allows, things may never go back to “normal” if general attitudes change. This could be truly ruinous for the resort hotel industry as about 95–99 percent of their business would be permanently gone.

Just like every situation involving the pandemic, we can only do our best as we wait to see what will happen. The world may not change that much in the long term. But it’s impossible to predict at this point, and the uncertainty can be frightening.^[10]

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It is no news that most governments are struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Things are no different with terrorists, who are often the de facto government in areas under their control.

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Most terror groups are already feeling the heat of the first wave of the pandemic, and we expect things to get worse in the coming weeks. Affected terror groups are working hard to keep the virus under control, while those yet to suffer its deadly consequences are taking precautions.

Judging by current trends, it is already clear that the pandemic will disrupt the activities of most terror groups. Most have even been quiet of late. If you are following the news, you should have noticed the sudden reduction in terror activities across the world, particularly in regions grappling with the pandemic.

10 Taliban lifts ban on health workers and agrees to cooperate with WHO

The Taliban is infamous for killing health workers. In 2019, it killed 51 health workers and injured another 142, causing the recently disgraced World Health Organization (WHO) to shut down 192 health facilities across the country.

However, with the ongoing pandemic knocking on the doors of Afghanistan, the Taliban has realized it needs those health workers on its side. Twenty-two Afghans have tested positive for COVID-19 and the Taliban fears the figures could rise in the coming weeks.

A Taliban spokesperson said the group was ready to work with the now-disgraced WHO and other international health organizations to cleanse Afghanistan of the virus.

A second spokesperson said the group was already advising Afghans to listen to health workers and will force those who were not taking precautions to comply. He added that the group was considering suspending congregational prayers to slow the spread of the virus.^[1]

9 The Islamic State issues travel advisory to terrorists traveling to Europe

Until a few months ago, the Islamic State was calling on its members to travel to Europe for terrorism. With the COVID-19 pandemic already wrecking parts of Europe, the group has backtracked and warned fighters against traveling to Europe.

The Islamic State also discouraged members who heeded its earlier calls to travel to Europe from returning. The group was not holding them back so they can perform terror acts when conditions improve. It is just scared that they might bring the virus back home.^[2]

8 Hezbollah quarantines its leaders after they contracted the virus

Most of Hezbollah’s topmost commanders are already down with the COVID-19 virus. The infected commanders were exposed to the virus during a meeting with an Iranian government official. (Iran finances the group and its officials hold regular meetings with Hezbollah commanders.)

A few others including the group’s overall leader, Hassan Nasrallah, are in quarantine over concerns that they might have contracted the virus. Hassan also attended the meeting with the Iranian official. He has not been diagnosed with the virus, but the group isn’t taking chances.^[3]

7 Mahan Air continued flying to China

Mahan Air is a passenger airline. However, several countries consider it a terror group because of its close ties to the Iranian government and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The airline transports men and equipment of the IRGC. There are also indications that it is financing the group.

Mahan Air acted irresponsibly at the beginning of the pandemic. It ignored a government ban on airlines servicing the Iran-China route and continued flying into China. The airline only suspended flights into China in March, two months after the ban came into force.

That decision took its toll on the airline (and nation). Iran has one of the highest infection and death tolls in the region. Most of the infected people flew into the country on Mahan Air during the ban. Mahan Air even lost a pilot to the virus. There is no word whether other crew members were infected.^[4]

6 Hamas banned all gatherings and suspended congregational prayers

Hamas is the de facto government of the Gaza strip, a heavily populated region surrounded by Israel and Egypt. The region reported its first COVID-19 infections in March, when two men tested positive after returning from a trip to Pakistan.

The men traveled to Pakistan to attend a four-day Islamic program. Thousands of other people also attended the event, despite a Pakistani government ban on large gatherings.

In response, Hamas banned all gatherings and closed wedding halls, shops and restaurants within its territory. It also suspended funerals and congregational prayers. Hamas has also been quarantining thousands of people entering Gaza from neighboring territories.^[5]

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5 Neo-Nazis plan to use it as a bioweapon

While most terrorist groups are taking preventive measures against contracting the COVID-19 virus, “White Racially Motivated Violent Extremists” (a government euphemism for the followers of Neo-Nazi James Mason) in the United States are planning to use it as a bioweapon. There is a catch to all this though. The WRMVEs will only go on with their plans if they contract the virus.

The Department of Homeland Security discovered their plans after intercepting their messages on messaging app Telegram. Members suggested filling their contaminated saliva in spray bottles and spraying it in non-white areas. They also considered spending time in public areas frequented non-whites.

WRMVEs also discussed plans to infect government workers with the virus by rubbing their saliva on door handles and elevator buttons in government buildings.^[6]

4 The Turkistan Islamic Party said it is God’s punishment to China

The Turkistan Islamic Party (TIP) is a terror group based in Syria and Afghanistan. It has close ties to Al Qaeda and hopes to create an Islamic state in mainland China. Most of its members are tribesmen of the Chinese Muslim Uighur ethnic group.

The group released a video at the time the pandemic was ravaging China. The anchor said the virus was God’s punishment to China for oppressing Muslims, destroying mosques, burning Qurans and raping Muslim women. The anchor also chided Chinese citizens for eating wild animals. He added that he hoped the virus destroyed China.^[7]

3 Al-Shabab commanders held a meeting to discuss how to prevent COVID-19

Somalia is one of the poorest countries in the world. It also has one of the worst healthcare systems. The John Hopkins Global Health Security Index ranks the country’s healthcare system as 194 out of the 195 countries it reviews.

The situation has not improved even with the ongoing pandemic. The government lacks the capacity to test for the virus, and hospitals are turning sick people away because their facilities are inadequate to treat even the most basic health conditions.

People are not taking precautions either. Millions of Somalis still live in slums where sanitation is poor and there is no water. Conditions are no better in the cities, where people still shake hands and mingle freely.

In essence, the pandemic will be deadly in that region.

Al-Shabab is the dominant terror group in Somalia. The group has made no public statement regarding the virus, but its leaders have held meetings on how to prevent the virus from reaching their territory.

Like the Taliban, Al-Shabab is hostile to health workers and the situation is unlikely to change even if the pandemic reaches Somalia. However, analysts believe the group will allow people leave its territory to seek treatment in government-controlled areas if the situation gets out of hand.^[8]

2 The Palestinian Islamic Jihad cancels protests over COVID-19

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) is another terror group active in Palestine. The group organizes weekly protests to show its displeasure at Israel’s control of Palestinian lands. Once a year (on March 30), it holds a larger protest it calls the “Great march of return”.

However, the group canceled this year’s protest because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It advised residents to stay in their homes and observe the protest by flying Palestinian flags and burning Israel’s flags. The group added that it would stop traffic for an hour and fill its territory with the sounds of sirens. It also planned to hold a news conference for few attendees.^[9]

1 Islamic State tells members to pray

It is weird to imagine that the Islamic State will ever tell anyone to pray against anything. However, it told its members to pray against contracting COVID-19 when the virus first made news in January. The group later issued the travel ban when the pandemic spread to other parts of the world.

The Islamic State faulted the Chinese government for hiding details about the virus. It added that the death toll and infection rates were way above the 1,000 and 40,000 claimed by the Chinese government. It also accused China of lying about discharging people “cured” of the virus.

The Islamic State added that the virus was God’s punishment to China for its inhumane treatment of Chinese Muslims. However, it warned that the virus would spread out of China and infect innocent people in other countries. It was at this point that it advised its members to pray that the virus never reached their country.^[10]

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It is a matter of when, not if, we will see another global outbreak of a deadly disease. Public health officials say there is reasonable probability a worldwide outbreak of a fast-moving pathogen could occur within the next fifteen years.

It has been nearly a century since the 1918 Spanish flu claimed millions of lives. The widespread disease infected over 500 million people and caused tens of millions of deaths. Despite the major advances in medicine and technology during the last century, we are not safe from experiencing a similar outbreak today.
Here are ten reasons we are on the brink of another deadly pandemic.

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10 Population Increase

During the Spanish flu outbreak of 1918, there were less than two billion people living on the planet. The widespread disease killed approximately 2.5% of the global population, around 50 million people. Today, there are 7.6 billion people living on earth. Another pandemic with the same global mortality rate would result in 190 million deaths.

High population rates increase the spread of infectious diseases. More people are occupying the same area, which leads to more contact between humans and more opportunities for diseases to spread.

More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this percentage continues to increase. Communicable diseases spread quickly in major cities. People who use public transportation come in close contact with each other. Living arrangements are crowded. And in many countries, densely populated areas contain slums, where people live in unhygienic conditions that promote the growth and spread of bacteria.^[1]

9 Antibiotic Resistance

For the past 70 years, antibiotics have been used to treat a wide range of infections caused by bacteria. But these drugs are losing their potency as bacteria mutate and become antibiotic-resistant. Infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria are very difficult, and sometimes impossible, to treat. Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, stated during a 2014 press event that antibiotic-resistant bacteria could cause the next pandemic.

CRE is a family of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that is very concerning. CRE bacteria are named for their resistance to carbapenems, a class of antibiotics that are very potent and typically effective against drug-resistant bacteria. Earlier this year, the World Health Organization published a list of the top 12 antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The bacteria were prioritized by which pathogens required the most immediate attention in developing a new treatment. The top three, considered “critical,” were all resistant to carbapenem. The remaining strains of bacteria on the list showed resistance to some antibiotics, but not the strongest ones. These pathogens cause diseases such as pneumonia, blood infections, and gonorrhea.

If the rising problem of antibiotic resistance is not addressed, many infections that are easily treatable could become a death sentence. Unfortunately, pharmaceutical companies do not prioritize creating new antibiotics. The process requires a high investment in research and development costs, and provides a low profit since patients only take the drugs for a short period of time.^[2]

8Constant Flu Mutations

Experts point to the flu virus as one of the most likely suspects to cause the next pandemic. Unfortunately, this knowledge does not mean anything can be done to stop it.

The flu is hard to predict and hard to plan for. Currently, the best form of protection is a seasonal influenza shot, which is far from reliable. Scientists create the yearly vaccine months before the onset of flu season. They make an educated guess of which flu strains will be circulating and prepare the vaccine accordingly. The effectiveness of the flu shot varies by year. During the 2015-2016 flu season, approximately half of people who got the flu shot were actually protected from the strains that were active that year. The 2014-2015 flu season was even worse, with only 19 percent of vaccinations providing protection from that year’s viruses.

Only a few strains of the flu virus circulate worldwide, but it is believed that dozens more exist. Each strain mutates every year. The degree a strain mutates is a major factor in how dangerous the resulting virus is. Some flu mutations are very slight. It only takes a small difference for the flu to become unrecognizable to the human immune system. This is what creators of the seasonal vaccine attempt to predict and protect against. But some years, the flu undergoes such drastic mutations that it emerges as almost a completely new virus. These are the years that result in a pandemic, such as the virus mutation that caused the Spanish flu of 1918.^[3]

7 Increased Travel

The frequency, speed, and accessibility of modern travel are unprecedented. People can travel across the globe in a day. This means that diseases can spread just as quickly.

Travel puts people at risk for completely new diseases, or new strains of familiar diseases. People that travel to foreign countries can inadvertently introduce bacteria or viruses to the area that local populations are less equipped to handle. One reason the 2014 Ebola outbreak was so deadly in West Africa was because the area had not previously encountered the Ebola virus. Their unprepared health systems were not familiar with treating the disease, and the local people had no natural immunity or tolerance built up from prior exposure to the virus.

Also, people typically spend time in areas that provide favorable environments for infections to spread during travel, such as airplanes and hotels. These settings force people to come in close contact with each other and share germs. At the beginning of the 2003 SARS outbreak, an infected Chinese doctor stayed at a hotel in Hong Kong before falling ill and dying. The disease spread to other people staying at the same hotel, who then boarded planes and carried the pathogens to other countries. Within five months of the Chinese doctor checking in to the Hong Kong hotel, SARS had infected more than 8,000 people in more than thirty different countries, with 774 cases resulting in death.

As global travel continues to increase, so does the international spread of contagious diseases.^[4]

6Deforestation

Approximately 75% of new infectious diseases are zoonotic, meaning they spread to humans from animals. As the frequency of contact between humans and wildlife rises, so does the risk of infection. Deforestation increases the occurrence of diseases such as Ebola and malaria because it disrupts the environment of animals that host the illness-causing bacteria. When their habitats are destroyed, animals are forced to seek food and shelter elsewhere, which often brings them in closer contact with humans.

The idea that deforestation increases the spread of disease is not a new one.

In the late 90’s, a study of mosquito activity in Peru showed that a malaria-carrying species living in a deforested area bit people almost 300 times more frequently than the same species living in an untouched forest. According to a 2010 study, cutting down only four percent of a Brazilian forest resulted in a fifty percent increase in malaria cases. Deforestation also contributed to an extreme drought in Brazil. This caused people to store more water in open containers, a practice that attracts mosquitoes and is believed to have increased the spread of Zika.

Mosquitos are not the only disease-carrier affected by deforestation. Primates, bats, and rodents are also rife with pathogens that infect humans. As long as we continue to encroach on the habitats of animals, we will continue to risk new illnesses, some of which could prove highly contagious and untreatable.^[5]

5Research Risks

In 2014, American scientists created a virus very similar to the 1918 Spanish flu. Using a technique called reverse genetics, researchers at the University of Wisconsin – Madison manufactured the virus from fragments of wild bird flu strains. They also mutated the virus to make it airborne, a characteristic of the most dangerous deadly diseases.

Scientists in support of the study claim that recreating the dangerous virus is an essential part of understanding the risk it poses to the public. But many scientists are against these experiments, arguing that the act of creating these viruses poses a threat to the human population. Even in the highest-security labs, creating a dangerous pathogen is a risky activity. Critics of this practice state there is little to no evidence that these experiments actually help save lives, though they definitely jeopardize them. An epidemiology professor at Harvard School of Public Health warned that if a dangerous virus escaped or was intentionally released from a lab, it could cause a catastrophic pandemic.^[6]

4 World Health Organization Response

When the next highly-contagious and fast-spreading disease starts moving across the globe, preparedness will determine the number of lives lost. People need to be aware of a threat in order to take precautionary measures. The World Health Organization is the main watchdog for global health, and they are responsible for sounding the alarm during an outbreak. But the WHO cannot be trusted to do this in a timely matter.

The recent Ebola outbreak began in early 2014. The WHO did not declare a public health emergency until August of that year. It was five months after Guinea and Liberia started experiencing outbreaks. A panel of independent global health experts stated that the delay caused “needless suffering and death.”

The WHO was heavily criticized for their slow response during the Ebola outbreak. They vowed to make improvements so that their response time and effectiveness would be better in the future. We will have to hope this is true, because if they are slow to identify the next pandemic, the damage will be done by the time they apologize for their procrastination.^[7]

3 Climate change

Vector-borne diseases are illnesses transmitted to humans by fleas, ticks, mosquitos, or any other organism. As climate change warms the globe, the occurrence of these diseases as well as the geographical range of cases has increased.

Malaria, Zika, and Dengue are just a few of many lethal viruses transmitted by mosquitos, with Malaria being the deadliest. Mosquitos thrive in warm climates. Global warming can cause mosquito populations to spread geographically as more areas become hospitable to the disease-carrying insects. Climate change also creates longer warm seasons for mosquitos to breed, generating more vessels capable of transmitting infections to humans.

Fleas and ticks also thrive in warm climates and transmit a number of dangerous diseases, including Congo-Crimean haemorrhagic fever, typhus, and Lyme disease.^[8]

2 Bioterrorism

The next pandemic could be the result of an intentional attack.

Bill Gates, one of the richest men in the world, has spent the last 20 years funding a global health campaign. Earlier this year, he spoke at a security conference in Munich. Gates warned that bioterrorism, the intentional release of viruses or germs, could be responsible for killing millions of people.

The threat of bioterrorism has increased during the past five years. Changes in molecular biology have made the development of biological weapons easier and more accessible. A terrorist now has the ability to use genetic engineering to synthesize smallpox or create a highly-contagious and lethal version of the flu. Intelligence groups report that ISIS has been working on bioweapons at their Syria and Iraq bases.^[9]

1Current Pandemic Potential

The H7N9 bird flu virus was first seen in humans in 2013, when two Chinese citizens died after contacting the disease. China has seen annual outbreaks since then, and recently experienced its fifth wave of H7N9 human infections. The fifth wave, which was marked as beginning in October 2016, has been the worst by far. There were more cases than the other four waves combined, and it covered the largest geographical area. The mortality rate of confirmed H7N9 cases is around forty percent. As of October 25, 2017, there have been a total of 1,622 confirmed H7N9 cases, with 619 resulting in death.

H7N9 is ranked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as the flu strain with the greatest potential to cause a pandemic. So far, human infections of H7N9 have largely been attributed to the live poultry markets in China. But the virus is continuing to mutate, and could soon pose a much larger risk through human to human transmission.

Last year, a study was done on a highly pathogenic strain of H7N9. Ferrets, the preferred animal model for testing transmissibility of the flu virus in humans, were infected with the virus. Healthy ferrets and infected ferrets were placed in separate cages next to each other. The virus spread easily, killing two out of three healthy ferrets. The study proved that the virus could be transmitted through airborne respiratory droplets, such as those that occur during coughing and sneezing.

Based on the drastic mutations seen in H7N9 over the last year, the next wave of the virus could very well be highly-contagious between humans, and just as deadly. Currently, there is no effective vaccine for the latest H7N9 strains.^[10]

Efforts to slow the impact of the coronavirus have been compared to rations and restrictions WWII-style and people are getting more anxious every day. This is evident in the panic-buying incidents taking place world-wide and in the fear you see in people’s eyes when you pass too close to them in a shopping center. However, there is much to be said for the positive side of this pandemic (pardon the pun). People are uniting worldwide to fight ‘a common enemy’ and even political parties are setting aside their differences and putting the needs of the people first.

Heroes are popping up everywhere and heartwarming tales are beginning to saturate the internet as much as the tales of panic and mayhem have. On this list are just 10 examples of uplifting things that have the potential to keep people somewhat sane in these crazy times.

10 Clear canals in Venice

While Italy is engaged in a fierce battle with the coronavirus, natural order has returned to Venice in the form of swans and dolphins swimming freely in the now-clear water of the canals.

With the canals usually bustling with boats, the water is always cloudy. But soon after Venice implemented lockdown measures, the water started clearing as sediment remains at the bottom of the canals. And while the mayor’s spokesperson has said the clearer water doesn’t necessarily mean higher quality water, it remains a sight for sore and fearful eyes during this uncertain time.^[1]

9 Penguin field trip

Around the world institutions are closing in an effort to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. These include zoos, libraries, museums, aquariums etc. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago is also closed to the public, but the staff are determined to keep the animals entertained. This led to a spontaneous penguin ‘field trip’ through the museum.

The penguins met some of the other animals in the aquarium. Wellington the penguin couldn’t get enough of the fish while Monte headed to the dolphins. The aquarium is planning on keeping people updated on animal adventures via social media for as long as the building remains closed.^[2]

8 Singing from balconies

As Italy officially reached the highest death toll from coronavirus, those under lockdown refused to have their spirits broken. In scenes reminiscent of a war-time musical, Italians have come together to inspire and uplift one another by singing aloud and playing musical instruments from their balconies.

The idea spilled over to Spain where people have also taken to singing and clapping together while self-isolating or quarantined in their homes. There was also a call on social media platforms for everyone to stand on their balconies and at their open windows and give a standing ovation to overworked medical personnel. The call was heeded with gusto and the sound of cheering could be heard for miles.^[3]

7 SA supermarket chain accommodates pensioners

In South Africa the news that the Covid-19 pandemic had reached the country’s shores sent hundreds of people into a state of panic. Bulk buying and chaos ensued. Multiple statements and pleas from the SA government seems to have calmed the situation slightly, but the tension still can be felt in the air.

Pick n Pay, a South African supermarket chain, decided to intervene and try to calm the panic. They have introduced a system whereby they open 1 hour earlier each Wednesday for pensioners and people over 65 to do their shopping in peace and limit the time they spend in crowded spaces. As older people are more susceptible to complications of the coronavirus, this plan has been lauded as forward thinking in a time of extreme stress.^[4]

6 Mega stars offering free streaming concerts

People around the world are wondering how they are going to pass the time while in quarantine or self-isolation. Chris Martin live-streamed a mini concert from his home on 16 March which was extremely well received by fans and many other stars have since joined in the effort to keep people entertained while they get used to this strange new reality.

These stars include John Legend, Indigo Girls, Death Cab For Cutie, Pink, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello and Katharine McPhee.^[5]

5 Pollution lifts as quarantines are implemented

In just one month the cloud of toxic pollution hanging over major Chinese cities has nearly dissipated in the wake of quarantines and self-isolation. NASA air quality researcher, Fei Liu, has said that this was the first time he had seen such a dramatic reduction of polluted air over such a large area due to one specific event.

CO2 emissions were down by at least 25% between 3 February and 1 March as China’s coal usage is plummeting. While it is likely that the pollution levels will increase again once the pandemic is contained, it is great to see blue skies again where the smog was potent enough to kill. ^[6]

4 Christmas in March

When social distancing was introduced in March 2020 as one of the efforts to contain the coronavirus, people started looking for ways to entertain themselves but also others and keep them from becoming despondent. Sports broadcaster, Lane Grindle, suggested on Twitter that people could put up their Christmas lights again in order to create a safe activity for families; the favorite pass time of driving around to look at the beautiful lights.

This idea quickly caught on and many people joined in, turning their Christmas lights back on, and spreading cheer around their neighborhoods. The Hallmark Channel also jumped on the festive bandwagon and announced they would air a holiday movie marathon titled We Need A Little Christmas between 20 and 22 March 2020.^[7]

3 Support signs

Becky Wass from Cornwall thought up a fantastic idea to help others who need assistance during their self-isolation period. She came up with a postcard template that could be shared on social media. The postcard simply says “Hello! If you are self-isolating, I can help”, with space below for people to fill out their contact numbers and requests.

Other people are putting huge banners outside their houses that say they support their neighbors and are willing to help with tasks they need assistance with.^[8]

2 Jennifer Haller takes one for the world

On 18 March Jennifer Haller, one of 45 volunteers, became the first person in the world to be injected with a potential vaccine against the coronavirus. She says of the experience that she felt happy and excited to be able to do something to help, considering how helpless people are feeling at the moment.

Volunteers are each given 2 injections 28 days apart to test the safety of the vaccine. The race is well and truly on to find a vaccine that works, and 35 institutions are involved in testing and trialing potential vaccines.^[9]

1 Christ the Redeemer statue lights up in solidarity

On Wednesday, 18 March, the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil was lit up in solidarity with countries fighting the coronavirus pandemic. Affected countries’ flags flitted over the massive structure and messages of hope were displayed. Below the statue, the Holy Sacrifice Of The Mass was held to pray for everyone infected by the virus while #praytogether was projected on it in different languages.^[10]

+ Spanish Soldiers Helping An Old Lady

Spain pic.twitter.com/Ks9UsDuk59

— R?MIN N?SIBOV (@RaminNasibov) March 20, 2020

As we can see in this heartwarming video taken in the last twenty-four hours, Spanish soldiers are helping out the old and infirm where needed. As the virus progresses and nations find themselves calling upon the military to provide assistance, we are all more likely than usual to have dealings with the police, medical officers, soldiers, and the like. This is a good time to remind us all that these men and women have been putting their own lives on the line for our sake for many years, and they are stepping up right now against an invisible enemy to do the same in a more visible and direct manner. Give them a big thank you and a smile if you do have to interact with them. They are as worried about loved ones as we all are and a little kindness will go a long way to make their difficult task a little easier.

[From JFrater: For my part I would like to thank all of the readers here who are, or have been, involved in the military, health, religious, or emergency services. Your sacrifices do not go unnoticed. I think I can say, on behalf of everyone here: while we may not be able to be with you in person, we are all with you in spirit.]

Spanish flu, the deadliest pandemic of the 20th century, struck the world in a series of waves, and left between 50 and 100 million people dead in its wake. It may have appeared in the trenches of World War I in Europe as early as 1916, according to some researchers. It first appeared in the United States in the spring of 1918. Numerous contending theories of its source of origin continue to be debated. Some say it began in the United States, some say in Europe, and still others argue it originated in Asia. There is no debate over its impact, though, with one-third of the world’s population contracting the disease during its peak in 1918-19. It continued to appear well into 1920, though with significantly less impact.

Differing from other forms of influenza, the virus had a significant impact on young, otherwise healthy adults, who usually had stronger immune systems. It struck the wealthy and the poor. Franklin Delano Roosevelt contracted the illness. The King of Spain nearly died of it. A young nurse in Toronto, Amelia Earhart, contracted the disease, which damaged her sinuses to the point surgery was required. The scars left her with sinus problems for the rest of her life. In the United States, 675,000 Americans died from the flu, most of them during the deadly second wave in 1918. That year American average life expectancy dropped by 12 years as a result of the flu. Here are 10 facts about the Spanish flu pandemic at the end of the First World War…

10. Nobody knows for certain where it originated

While there is some disagreement among scholars over the place of origin, the consensus is that Spanish flu did not originate in Spain. When the pandemic spread rapidly across Europe in 1918, wartime censorship conditions affected most news reports. Censorship did not apply to neutral Spain. News reports of the flu’s virulence there appeared in newspapers and magazines, with references to “this Spanish flu.” The name stuck. Reports of the disease in Spain increased substantially when King Alphonso XIII contracted the flu in the spring of 1918. Ironically, as reports of the King’s illness and being near death for several days increased references to the Spanish flu in Western newspapers, the Spanish referred to the disease as the French flu.

Since the pandemic (and in part during it), China, Great Britain, the United States, and France, as well as Russia, have all been suggested as the disease’s starting point. The first case in the United States appeared in March 1918, at a Kansas army post. More recently, researchers identified potential cases as early as 1916, at army receiving and marshaling stations in France. Another earlier outbreak occurred at a British Army base in Aldershot in the early spring of 1917. The UK staging camp at Etapes, in northern France, saw 100,000 troops go through daily, either returning from the front or on their way to it, in densely crowded conditions. Hundreds exhibited symptoms of the pandemic flu during the spring and fall of 1917, a fact later identified by army pathologists.

9. More American soldiers died of Spanish flu than in combat during World War One

Americans were stunned at the casualties suffered by their troops during the First World War, though in comparison to the European combatants they were low. Mobilization placed 4.7 million American men in uniform. Of those, about 320,000 became ill and recovered, or suffered wounds in combat from which they survived. 116,516 American troops and sailors died during the war. Combat deaths totaled 53,402. The rest — 63,114 — died of disease, with most of the deaths occurring from the Spanish flu in the camps in the United States, in Europe, and in ships bound for Europe. Once such ship was a former German liner. In 1917 the United States converted the German steamship Vaterland, interned in New York, into a troopship, renamed USS Leviathan.

On September 29, 1918, Leviathan departed New York for the French port of Brest, carrying 9,000 American doughboys, and a crew of 2,000 sailors (one of the sailors was a young New Yorker named Humphrey Bogart). Spanish flu appeared in the ship during the crossing. When Leviathan arrived at Brest it carried 2,000 men already diagnosed with the Spanish flu, which wreaked havoc in the crowded conditions aboard, and overwhelmed the ship’s medical facilities and personnel. 80 men died during the crossing, many more after landing ashore in France, during the height of the pandemic. A similar outbreak occurred on the ship’s return voyage to the United States.

8. It affected the Treaty of Versailles

The combat during World War One came to an end via an armistice, which began at 11 a.m. on the 11th day of November, the 11th month of the year, 1918. Many issues of the war remained unresolved. The leaders of the Allied nations agreed to meet in Paris in early 1919 to discuss the issues facing Europe. Woodrow Wilson, then President of the United States, went to Europe to join the discussions, present his famous 14 Points, and to argue for the establishment of the League of Nations. He favored more lenient terms for Germany than those proposed by the leaders of France, Italy, and Great Britain. Wilson intended to use American prestige to obtain less punitive measures against the Germans, especially in the form of reparations.

During the negotiations for the treaty, which took place in Paris rather than the Palace of Versailles for which it was named, Wilson came down with the Spanish flu. Several members of his entourage suffered through the flu during the voyage to France. Wilson’s illness was covered up, though he became severely ill in Paris, unable to attend multiple sessions of the negotiations. His physician, Navy Admiral Cary Grayson, wrote of the President as “violently sick.” When Wilson did partially recover and returned to the negotiations, several participants wrote of his lack of attention, fatigue, and listlessness. He failed to ease the reparations imposed by the Allies on the Germans, and the resulting Treaty of Versailles created conditions in Germany that led to the rise of Adolf Hitler and the war which followed the War to End All Wars.

7. The federal government did little regarding the flu’s impact

In the United States, the federal government did relatively little to combat the Spanish flu, other than issue advisories telling Americans of the dangers presented by the illness. Congress adjourned in the fall of 1918, with the second wave of the pandemic at its peak. The Supreme Court did the same. The United States Public Health Service, then an agency within the Department of the Treasury, issued posters warning against spitting on sidewalks. It also advised workers to walk to work, which seems strange to modern eyes, until one considers that most commuting at the time involved streetcars or railroads. It also warned Americans to avoid becoming over-fatigued.

Before Woodrow Wilson went to Europe, Edith (the President’s wife) sent 1,000 roses to young women serving in the war effort in the District of Columbia, who were sickened by the flu. That was about the extent of the federal effort. Battling the effects of the pandemic, the lost work hours, burying the dead, and combating the spread of the disease was left in the hands of local governments, which responded in varying ways across the country. Some imposed severe restrictions on movement, crowds, and schools, easing them as the pandemic passed through their communities. Others continued to promote large gatherings to support Liberty Bond drives, including a parade in Philadelphia after which thousands died in the city from the rapid spread of influenza which ensued.

6. Some cities made wearing masks mandatory, with criminal penalties

The first wave of Spanish flu in America occurred in the spring of 1918. Compared to what came in the second wave it was mild. The second wave came in September 1918, in the Eastern cities, and gradually moved westward. San Francisco escaped the first wave, and its Chief of the Board of Health, Dr. William Hassler, assured citizens of the city the second wave would not affect them. On September 24, a recent arrival from Chicago became ill with the flu. By mid-October over 4,000 cases were in the city. That month the city passed an ordinance making the wearing of gauze masks mandatory, with Hassler touting them as 99% effective in stopping the spread of the flu between persons.

In truth, the masks were likely of little benefit, and on November 21, 1918,  the city rescinded the order to wear them. Several other cities issued similar orders, with varying degrees of punishments for violators. In San Francisco, violators went to jail. The city suffered 2,122 deaths during the lethal second wave. The third wave struck in December, and lasted through the winter, raising the death toll in San Francisco to over 3,500 out of a population of about half a million. Nearby Oakland was similarly hit. Oakland also enacted an ordinance requiring masks, virulently opposed by the city’s tobacco store owners. One such owner designed a mask with a flap over the mouth, allowing smokers to enjoy their cigars, cigarettes, and pipes while remaining in compliance with the law.

5. The 1918 baseball season was shortened, though not because of the flu

Major League Baseball shortened its season in 1918 in response to the American war effort. The last game of the regular season was played on September 2, 1918. Teams played just over 120 games that year. When the season ended, the second wave of Spanish flu was underway on the East coast. The league champions, the Boston Red Sox of the American League and the National League’s Chicago Cubs, met in the World Series. Public health officials in both cities argued against playing the World Series due to the crowds gathering during the course of an epidemic, but baseball went ahead. Boston’s only concession to the flu came in an agreement to play in Fenway Park, rather than in the larger Braves Field, where they had played in the preceding World Series.

During the World Series a young Red Sox pitcher started two games, winning both, despite suffering from the flu at the time. He started in the outfield in the other four games. His name was George Herman Ruth. Throughout the games he lay down between innings, weakened by the fever and body aches symptomatic of the flu. Some of his teammates assumed Ruth was simply suffering from a bad hangover, a common problem of ballplayers of the day. But throughout the series, Ruth was notably absent between games, even spending time on the train to Chicago in his sleeper, rather than consorting with teammates. The Red Sox won the series four games to two. It was the only World Series in history played entirely in September. That winter, Ruth was sent to the Yankees.

4. Franklin Roosevelt contracted the flu while returning from France

Franklin Delano Roosevelt served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the Wilson Administration, and in that capacity went to Europe in 1918. His mission included the coordination of naval activities against the German U-boat threat, and arranging for convoying and port facilities used by US Navy ships. In September 1918 he returned to the United States aboard USS Leviathan. Upon arrival FDR was carried off the ship on a stretcher, having contracted the flu either in France or, what is more likely, aboard the ship. Leviathan’s crew had been exposed to and ravaged by the flu on several voyages. FDR returned to the United States deathly ill, and required several weeks convalescence at his family’s Hyde Park home before resuming his duties.

FDR’s illness and its severity are often overlooked, largely because of his being later stricken with polio, which left his legs paralyzed. His flu is often described as a mild illness, though he left Leviathan with double pneumonia, high fever, and debilitating weakness. His distant cousin, former President Teddy Roosevelt, who had encouraged him to go to Europe, wrote him during his convalescence. “We are deeply concerned about your sickness, and trust you will soon be well,” wrote the former President, adding that, “We are very proud of you.” Had FDR not survived the flu, which killed so many Americans who went to Europe in 1918, the remainder of the 20th century would have been very different indeed.

3. The flu’s second wave was its deadliest by far

The second wave of influenza in 1918 swept across Western Europe and the United States from September through the end of the year and into January. It was the deadliest of the three main waves of the pandemic. In Philadelphia, America’s hardest hit city, about 16,000 died after city leaders refused to cancel a parade scheduled to promote the sale of Liberty Bonds. Cincinnati closed schools and businesses, shut down streetcars, and ordered the wearing of masks. For a time it closed all restaurants, though it allowed saloons to remain open. At one point in November, believing the worst to have passed, the city reopened businesses and schools. Within days the death rate skyrocketed, forcing the city to shut down again. Over 1,700 Cincinnatians succumbed to the flu in the fall of 1918.

Sailors at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center brought the flu to Chicago. In September Chicago’s Health Commissioner announced the flu was under control. At the end of the month there were fewer than 300 cases reported in the city. By mid-October the city reported 1,200 new cases per day. Chicago shut down schools, businesses, banned public gatherings, closed parks, and requested for churches to curtail services. Chicago reported over 38,000 cases of influenza, and 13,000 cases of pneumonia attributed to the flu, before restrictions were lifted in mid-November. One restriction imposed, vigorously opposed by conservative newspapers and businesses, had been the banning of smoking on streetcars and elevated trains. The Chicago Tribune opposed the ban and referred to the Health Commissioner who imposed it as “his highness.”

2. Authorities in Philadelphia announced the flu was no worse than seasonal flu and held a parade to sell war bonds

In mid-September 1918, influenza was present in all the major Eastern cities of the United States, with Boston suffering the highest number of cases. Philadelphia had seen some cases of the flu, though health officials in the city regarded it lightly. The city’s Health Commissioner, Wilmer Krusen, a political appointee, ignored the pleas of doctors and public health experts to ban large public gatherings. Krusen announced the flu was no worse than any seasonal flu, despite the evidence presented by other cities. The Health Commissioner warned the people of Philadelphia to be careful, covering their faces when they coughed or sneezed, and allowed the city’s scheduled Liberty Bonds parade to take place on September 28, a patriotic spectacle attended by an estimated 200,000 people.

By the middle of November, over 12,000 Philadelphians had died of influenza. The city’s morgue, designed to hold 36 bodies, was obviously overwhelmed, and bodies were stored in the city wherever space was found. A streetcar manufacturing company was hired to build simple wooden boxes to serve as coffins. In the tenements, whole families were stricken and died, undiscovered for weeks. Only three days after the parade, every hospital bed in the city was filled. Over 500,000 cases of the highly contagious flu struck Philadelphia before the end of the year. The final death count was over 16,000. In contrast to Philadelphia, the city of Milwaukee, which imposed the most stringent social distancing laws in the nation, also saw the lowest death rate of any city in the United States.

1. A third of the world’s population contracted the flu during the pandemic

The 1918-20 influenza pandemic, the worst of the 20th century, caused at least 50 million deaths, and probably as many as 100 million across the globe. In remote Tahiti, 10% of the population died. In British ruled India more than 13 million citizens died, with some estimates ranging up to 17 million. German Samoa lost 22% of its population. American Samoa imposed a blockade, and escaped the pandemic unscathed. Brazil’s 300,000 dead included its President, Rodrigues Alves. In the United States over a quarter of the population contracted the flu during one of its several waves. Official death counts usually cite 675,000 American deaths, though some estimates include deaths on Indian Reservations and in Alaskan communities, and elevate the count to 850,000.

Bacterial pneumonia, a complication brought on by the flu, served as the primary killer. When the flu returned for its third wave in the late winter and early spring of 1919, rates of death were comparatively low. Sporadic outbreaks continued in the fall of 1919 and the winter of 1919-20. As the 1920s began the pandemic faded from memory, and remained largely forgotten until the coronavirus pandemic restored it to public attention. All the weapons used to control the spread of coronavirus — distancing, closing of schools, banning large crowds and gatherings, shutting down businesses, and others — were deployed against the Spanish flu. History shows that those communities which deployed them most stringently, throughout the first and second waves, were most successful saving lives.