As We Respond to the Novel Coronavirus, What Can We Learn From the 1918 Flu?
While COVID-19 and flu are distinct diseases, there are potential lessons that can be drawn from past flu pandemics and the local interventions and conditions that prevented excess deaths.
Sidewalk Labs compiled a review of several studies of the 1918 flu pandemic, and how public policy and other factors caused disparities and affected outcomes in different cities. In the post, Professor Karen Clay’s research is cited multiple times, in particular regarding the connection between air pollution in a city and increased mortality from the flu.