Abstract

A COVID-19-like epidemic, with a much higher death toll, with enormous economic cost, was the „Spanish flu“ of 1918. Comparing these two epidemics, we find many similarities but also differences. Today, it is really difficult to arbitrate on everything that has been done to combat today’s pandemic. Because, despite the WHO recommendations, some countries have their own national strategies and models of approach to the pandemic (e.g., Sweden, the Netherlands, the USA…) so the approach to solution is not uniform. The only right path is the opinions and recommendations of the WHO and the application of evidence-based medicine. The importance of the protective triad has been accepted by the plebiscite since the time of the „Spanish lady“ (masks, distance, isolation…). Nevertheless, strong resistance and protests have been expressed in many countries over the measures taken, all under the auspices of restrictions on human freedoms. So, the numerous movements arose: maskers and antimaskers, vaxxers and anti-vaxxers, civil disobedience, all largely due to fake news and fantastic conspiracy theories. Leading to incomprehensible resistance to the efforts of the scientific community to get out of the vicious circle that leads to the collapse of the economy of all countries. The use of the vaccine (partly challenged by the so-called anti-vaxxers movement) has been plebiscitarily accepted by the WHO as the only proper way out of the hell of a pandemic. Alternatives are to fight only using the current measures which (for known reasons) have failed to curb the infection or the promising vaccination that would radically interrupt the course of the epidemic is the only right choice and for salvation for the world. As for human casualties, they are incomparably smaller compared to the Spanish flu, but the financial collapse that follows the pandemics, by all indications, will be incomparably greater and will lead to the collapse of the economies of many countries.

Key words: Spanish flu, COVID-19 pandemic.