• YurkshireLad@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    45
    ·
    6 months ago

    Anyone with more than two brain cells to run together, who learns about the “Spanish Flu” of 1918-1920, should immediately say “I’m getting vaccinated, I’m wearing a mask and I’m self isolating”. 50 million people died. 50 million! We got lucky with COVID because so many people unselfishly did those things.

    • The_v@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      35
      ·
      6 months ago

      50 million out of 1.8 billion population. Or 2.78% of the poulaton died.

      Today the same death rate for a pandemic would be around 225 million people.

      • Dkarma@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        18
        ·
        6 months ago

        I was tracking the pandemic and the mortality rate among patients who had to be hospitalized during the initial strain was over 5% at times! People really don’t get how lucky we are that the omicron and subsequent variants has lower mortality. Imagining even 10 or 15% would completely collapse our medical system altogether.