THREAD: Want an example of spiking the pandemic football too early? Look at Mt. Vernon, Ohio a century ago.
Nov. 26, 1918: All health orders lifted, flu reports "exaggerated"
"It is believed that by the end of the week the disease will be practically stamped out in Mt. Vernon."
Nov. 26, 1918: All health orders lifted, flu reports "exaggerated"
"It is believed that by the end of the week the disease will be practically stamped out in Mt. Vernon."
(The text from the 2nd screenshot above literally sounds word-for-word from what we hear from COVID-19 skeptics in 2020.)
Just weeks later on Dec 10, 1918: Turns out the virus was not "practically stamped out." An outbreak closed a local government office.
Just weeks later on Dec 10, 1918: Turns out the virus was not "practically stamped out." An outbreak closed a local government office.
And finally, March 11, 1919: A citywide outbreak led the local officials to re-issue all the health orders and shut down the city again.
I found a few examples of newspapers observing that local Spanish Flu occurrence rose after families gathered for Thanksgiving (1918)
This clipping made me sigh very loudly.
This clipping made me sigh very loudly.
If you missed my earlier thread outlining the interesting/tragic/frustrating similarities between 1918 and 2020, you can read it here.
https://twitter.com/Tylerjoelb/status/1330240375018106880
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