Half way through pandemic?

By Ralph Dickerson

The 1918 flu pandemic lasted for two years, and hit the world in four consecutive waves of infection. According to estimates, the 1918-20 pandemic killed roughly one-third of the world’s population, and around 650,000 people in the United States. The first official case of what became known as the “Spanish Flu” started in the United States at a military base in Kansas, and spread from there.
Some researchers say the flu actually started several years earlier, managed to slowly work its way around the globe and spread like wildfire due to the world events at the time. In 1918 WWI was raging in Europe, and the United States was about to enter into the war.

Researchers say the virus spread so quickly because military personnel across the globe spread the virus due to being in close quarters with each other. The virus quickly spread from military personnel to the civilian population.

The first wave of the virus started in March of 1918, killed thousands around the globe, and appeared to wane later in the year, only to return with a vengeance later that year. This second wave of the virus was the deadliest one as millions died in just a short period of time. Two more waves of the virus hit in the years 1919 and 1920, only to fade to away later.
Looking at how the 1918 pandemic occurred, and what is happening with the current COVID-19 pandemic are we looking at a similar scenario? COVID-19 hit the world at approximately the same time of the year at the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, and like the 1918 episode started to slowly fade for a few months before starting to spike again.

Currently worldwide COVID-19 cases are starting to reach or exceed infection rates from earlier this year. With a strong surge in cases, will this second wave, like 1918, bring more deaths than the first wave? Will we suffer two more waves of this virus before we reach herd immunity? Will we lose as many people in this pandemic as we did in 1918?