The Spanish Influenza swept around the world with the
lightning speed with which we now observe Covid-19. It was 1918 and the First
World War was winding down. In Canada, the Spanish Flu killed some 55,000 Canadians
by the time the pandemic ended in 1920.
Canada quickly became a Covid-19 victim, likely spread
initially by Patient Zero in Wuhan, China. Because Canada enjoys a favored
nation status, Chinese nationals are permitted to travel to Canada and enjoy
the scenery and visit relatives.
There was no television in 1918. No internet either.
Radio was not yet the familiar entertainment box it would soon become.
Newspapers were the king of media and how most folks received news. And the
news in 1918 was grim.
As the numbers of dead were being finalized for Canada’s
involvement in World War One, the numbers began trickling in of dead due to the
Spanish Flu. Approximately 61,000 soldiers killed during the Great War. By the
end of 1920, Canada would count 55,000 people dead due to the Spanish Flu.
Canada’s population in 1918 was 8.2 million, so losing 116,000 of its citizens
represented a significant portion of her being.
A new normal had arrived for Canadians. And today, a
newer normal takes its place with Covid-19 already challenging the Spanish Flu
numbers for supremacy.
Computer generated models for Covid-19 appear to show
that late May 2020 will deliver the highest number of infected persons, along
with high rates of deaths, up to 44,000. If Covid-19 continues on such a
trajectory of death, it will surpass the Spanish Flu in infections and deaths
in Canada within the first several weeks of the pandemic.
Today, Canada’s population stands at around 38 million.
Percentage-wise, Covid-19 is projected to take a bigger chunk out of Canada’s
population initially, with accumulated losses to rally that portion even
higher.
One sombre attribute to both the Spanish flue of 1918 and
Covid-19 of 2020 is that they both absolutely paralyzed the Canadian economy.
